Restore the Realms
by TheOwlMoth
Summary: The PJ Masks have been divided into strange, supernatural realms for years—and recently, Owlette's been driven out of her own realm by two long-time rivals. After being rescued by Catboy, who's also lost his realm, she hatches a plan to restore the life of her realm and her friends', with rediscovery, adventure, and severe danger.
1. Defeated

**So . . . I discovered FanFiction through PJ Masks stories in 2017, and went under the username OwlLegendary000. My love for the show has died a bit, but hey, here I am! **

**This is a story I've had in my notes for months. Literally. The reason I didn't publish it so soon was because I had to make changes to it so it didn't seem too similar to one of my friend's stories, which this one is based off of. (It's called Fan This Spark Into a Flame, a Hamilton fanfic.) My friend's account name is Countess Eliza, and she writes such heartwarming stories and oneshots, and I give her a lot of credit for this chapter's inspiration. Actually, it's primarily the first chapter that's similar, pretty much everything else is different. But this was extremely difficult to write because I had to implement fantasy into a show about superheroes with only very mild elements of fantasy. **

**With that said, let's get on with this. **

Chapter One—Defeated 

Fourteen year old Owlette sat, feet tucked beneath her rear, helplessly on the red crystal floors of her beloved home. Her knees were bruised, her hands cut, and face stained in crimson lines, and she was breathing slowly, recollecting what had just happened to her.

As she suffered quietly, two other figures of roughly the same age were standing half distance away from her, observing closely. The first figure had cold, blue eyes, and his true self was concealed by a ninja costume. He had a retinue of loyal minions aligned behind him, ready to defend their master under any circumstances. But under the mask of his, he had a smug little smile, as if he took pleasure from seeing his foe crumbling in his hands. The other had uncontrollable hair streaked with white, and wore a white lab coat and goggles. His hair was ridiculous, yet the rest of him was dignified and competent.

"I don't know if you've quite grasped what defeat really is, feathers, but let me make it simple for you," the first figure simpered.

The figure trod up to Owlette with pure confidence, then lifted her face with his splat-tipped fingers. "Defeat, how simply can I explain the term to a bird? Yes, let me start: I have won, you no longer rule this land, you go bye-bye because you lose. That simple enough for you, you stubborn hussy?"

Owlette finally looked up at the villainous figure. Hussy? She called him Night Ninja, because, what other name can you give someone who dresses like a ninja and paints stars on the costume?

"You haven't won," she rasped, her red-brown eyes tipped with rage and tears. "As long as I'm still around, you're never claiming this land. Never!" She panted with rage. In anger, Night Ninja snapped his fingers, and five of his purple minions of which he called Ninjalinoes surrounded Owlette, shurikens between their fingertips.

"Never, as in never has respect for anyone," the second figure, who was less talkative but even more vain, groaned. His name was Romeo, likely because of his high ego and belief that all women were attracted to him. However, Owlette had no reason to like him. Not one.

"If the shoe fits, wear it," Night Ninja snapped, shrugging in front of Owlette, who was bent over, on the edge of meek surrender. "Accept your fate, we've conquered. We've claimed your land fair and square, and you can't do a thing."

"That's—not—true—!" Owlette put forth the last atoms left of her strength into standing and charging straight for Night Ninja; she would have been successful if it wasn't for a crafty Ninjalino who stuck his foot out and tripped her, causing her to face-plant into the hard crystal floor.

Night Ninja conceitedly stalked away, while Romeo approached her proudly.

"Proud to say my mind's gotten me places, but even my genius isn't contagious enough to reach your dumb little mind." Romeo tapped her head lightly, like a teasing bully.

"I am not dumb," Owlette objected, tilting her head up to show she still had strength left inside. She heard the fierce beating of wings, and in the distance of the sable room, she saw Night Ninja roughly seize the tail of a pink pigeon that was trying to escape.

"No, not Birdie! Don't hurt her!"

"How sweet," Night Ninja simpered, stroking a shaking Birdie. "The only lives left in the land, and they're right here at my feet, now in my grasp." He then raised his hand to throw Birdie and said, "Here. Keep her."

He threw Birdie overhand style to Owlette, and luckily, the bird landed safely in her arms.

"I've even checked with my life scanner," Romeo butted in, practically rubbing it in Owlette's face. "Not much left to protect, feathers. There's nothing and nobody worth keeping left in the land. One of the very few things left intact is this very building we stand in." He turned to Night Ninja. "We could construct a new city, or even a kingdom, where we're the rulers, and no birds will interrupt."

"You can't rule! All the life you spawn will be abused and overworked! Every last atom of life will suffer in your hands," Owlette snapped, consoling Birdie to the best of her ability.

"Oh, please," Night Ninja scoffed. "You overreact to everything. But I shouldn't be surprised, your first reaction to me was a sharp finger at my 'wrongdoing'. Such drama." He demanded something of his entourage of minions, and they quickly pounced on top of Owlette, forcing her to face plant into the floor again. Birdie fled the building through a shattered window.

The Ninjalinoes laughed with the wildest excitement at the girl's misery.

Romeo pulled out a dangerous elimination ray from the back of his lab coat. "Should we just kill her?" he whispered quietly.

Night Ninja shook his head, then locked eyes with Owlette. "Eh, nah, I don't really feel like it," he said backhandedly. "I'd just destroy you, feathers, but I'm not in the mood. Therefore, I must request your removal."

Suddenly, he heard his followers meddling around near Owlette.

"Okay, Ninjalinoes, enough fun," Night Ninja said in a crisp voice, snapping his fingers to capture their attention once more. "I want you to bring her to the citizens' dimension. I'm getting too bored to deal with old Bird Brain here."

A Ninjalino saluted Night Ninja and bounced his way toward Romeo, who was holding a pair of electrical lightning shackles. He seized the shackles, attentive as to not shock himself, and hopped back to Owlette, then fixed the shackles to her wrists. It wasn't such a difficult task, since she was barely putting up a fight.

"One moment, Ninjalinoes. I'd like to say something." Night Ninja threateningly approached Owlette, who was on the verge of tears. "I honestly pity you, Owlette. You look like me all those times you triumphed over me throughout the years. Nearly a decade of victory. Look at you now." His cold eyes narrowed and he nodded at his minions. "Get her out of my sight. This is my land now."

Romeo had a lecherous glare aimed at Owlette. "Bye bye, sweet birdie."

"But—I'm not—!"

Grunting, Owlette was dragged by four Ninjalinoes as a wisp of wind blew past her nose. The wind was from Romeo throwing a small device at a Ninjalino, who switched to a control on the device labeled 'Citizens' Realm". Then he pressed a red button, and, in a flash of neon green light, he and his friends (and their victim) were gone, leaving their masters to the land.

A second later, they popped back into existence, only in a much more open, peaceful environment. It was a city, overgrown with apartment buildings and lampposts. Immediately, Owlette was hit with a breath of cold air from the freezing winter air, since her mask hadn't fully concealed the skin around her mouth and nose.

But Owlette recognized the place. She had lived here long ago before finding her precious land.

The Ninjalinoes wandered around the city for a little bit, deciding on the best place to dump their prisoner. Owlette occasionally fought back, holding her heels to the ground for friction and writhing against her shackles, but also knowing it was hopeless.

Soon, the ninjas found a dirty alley in the city where they could leave her in the cold. They grasped the iron chain and swung her against the end of it, where a group of empty metal trash and lay toppled over. Owlette stared at them, tears flickering in her eyes, but the ninjas ridiculed her excitedly and burst out of sight with the dimension-traveling device.

Owlette cried for help for over an hour. Unfortunately, no one in the town—not even a little bird—was awake. The only thing keeping the signs of life in the city was the twinkling of lampposts and stars, which meant someone, of course, still inhabited the place. Owlette lay hopelessly against her corner, hoping she'd be able to return home someday. Her beautiful, pink-red, inviting home.

She remembered what it was like before it came to to ruin. It was filled with life and beauty—cherry blossoms littered the ground with their soft petals, birds chirped at one another in the dark, sturdy branches, gardens of roses and benches of quartz were everywhere... It was all so beautiful, until the cruel, tyrannical enemies she called Night Ninja and Romeo invaded her innocent land with toxic sticky splats and industrial machines that sprayed smoke. The poisonous splats and the smoke were just enough to eliminate the lives of the birds and life, one by one, until fewer than two hundred survivors remained. Before the invasion, over fifteen hundred birds roamed the land. Owlette had always imagined her land as somewhat of a heaven, a place birds would go whenever they died and regenerated in a safer place.

The grass was a soft shade of pink, and almost as delicate as silk, and there were enough trees for each bird to have his own. The birds decorated their nests with heart-shaped petals and loved one another, reproducing and producing another loving generation. Owlette had the privilege of admiring every baby bird, even if it took away from her personal time as the dominant of the land. She believed each bird had a right to live, no matter how small, no matter how squawky. All birds were equal.

Owlette comforted herself with the thought of returning home. Perhaps she'd die in the abandoned alley and live back in her home, only able to restore everything—life, beauty, innocence—and expel Night Ninja and Romeo from her land. They had no place there, no right to be there. They didn't deserve to reside or preside over the pink heaven. Nothing of vice deserved to even step foot into the pink paradise. Not even the enemies she'd known her entire life. Owlette brought her knees up to her breast and tipped over, tears falling.


	2. A Mutual Longing

**Alright-y, here you guys go, chapter 2 of Restore the Realms! From the time I published the first chapter to now, I've been wondering if I even should publish the second chapter I had already written. But I decided to. I'm really happy I've gotten positive reviews so far, I'd been working on it for months.**

**Chapter 2: A Mutual Longing**

A dark, pointy-eared figure was leaping from roof to roof in the city. He was in search of something. He had a very clear image of what he was trying to retrieve, and he wanted it strongly.

Gradually, the rooftops of the buildings grew shorter with each building, and the figure was able to reach the ground. After he finally did touch the ground, the figure slowed down, knowing that speeding for too long would likely wake someone.

The figure stopped to listen for something. He leaned toward a wall, holding his hand up to his ear, but then whispered something and sound signals came racing toward him.

It was the sound of sniffling.

Then effeminate weeping.

Instantly, the figure darted in the direction he heard the sounds come from. It wasn't very far, according to his superb senses. He stopped at the corner of a mossy brick penthouse building, then peered around the corner and saw another figure.

Pity struck him faster than lightning could. The other figure had her hands buried in her knees, and she was obviously in deep distress. Slowly, as to not frightened the girl, the figure approached her, curiously bending at odd angles to observe her.

Then he recognized her.

His long lost friend.

Owlette looked up, her eyes wide and wet. "Wh-who are you?"

"It seems I've found you again, after all this time . . ."

The figure crouched down to her level. "We were friends seven years ago. The accident tore us apart and we didn't see each other again..."

Owlette's eyes widened with hope. "C-Catboy?"

The figure nodded. He held out his hand to take hers, but only before he noticed the shackles restraining her escape.

"Oh. Here. Let me get that—_Super Cat Sword!"_

With a sharp swing and a shriek from Owlette, Catboy made a sword appear out of nowhere and broke the shackles, and they disappeared out of existence.

"What the—?" Owlette was astonished. "Oh, _Catboy_!"

To Catboy's shock, Owlette flung her arms around him (despite her slight injuries), embracing him so long that Catboy felt strangely embarrassed. She seemed so much more emotional and affectionate than before.

Owlette burst into noisy tears. "I thought you guys were gone forever . . ."

"Shh. It's okay." After she let go, Catboy's eyes submerged into worry. "Do your powers still work? Who shackled you? Are you hurt? What happened?" he asked all at once.

"No," Owlette replied solemnly. "Night Ninja and Romeo... I don't know if you remember them, but they came to my land"—Owlette began to tear up again—"and they took it for themselves, and they wiped out most of the life there."

Catboy threw his arms around her. "It's okay. I know a safe place. My land was invaded, too... But I'm not letting you get hurt by them again. Ever."

"Wait, your land was invaded too?" Owlette gasped, pulling away from him. "Who invaded?"

"The Wolfies and... _Luna Girl,_" Catboy answered with slight rage. "The wolves frightened my cats into submission, and the ones who were strong, like the lions, were poisoned by an insect army Luna Girl had amassed with her moths. They now work together and they rule my land."

"That leaves us with Gekko," Owlette said softly. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"We still keep in contact. The accident happened long ago and it's been almost a year since we've discovered each other again, almost the same time when Luna Girl and the wolves invaded my land. They kicked me out of my own and then Gekko found me in the same state as the one you are in."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we should flee... It's cold out here. How can we get to Gekko's land?"

"When he came here to visit again, he gave me this." Catboy pulled out a small emerald gemstone that had an indentation on it that was supposed to be a button. "This device allows us to travel to and from his land. And believe me, it's so beautiful there. There are so many trees and plants and streams of water. The land resembles a rainforest, in a way, but nothing there can maul you alive."

Owlette held up her foot. There were several holes in it and dried blood scratches on them, along with a couple bruises. "I don't know if I can walk so far."

"We don't have to. Normally, when I travel there, I land right in front of his home. It's a tiny green place that hangs over a river. And you have to hold my hand to travel, or else only I will land there."

Owlette took his hand, and Catboy pressed the button, and in a matter of seconds they were gone.

They arrived in the middle of a dense, wet, humid environment. Brightly colored fruits hung from the overhead trees, which were shiny and green as ever, towering over them in layers of viridescence. There were small streams of water trickling past their feet, with little koi fish squirming through, and reptiles crept along the trunks of trees, smiling warmly. The sky was barely visible, but tropical birds and sunlight could be seen through the gaps in the forest canopy.

"It really is beautiful here," Owlette sighed, taking in the fresh air of the land. "Oh, Gekko is so lucky to live here."

"Look that way." Catboy directed her head to a small hut built on an old wooden bridge over a creek, roofed by a thick coat of leaves from the rainforest and thick tree trunks. Out of the front door, which was made from a row of thin branches, Gekko came stepping out, looking fresh and definitely a lot taller than Owlette had remembered him to be.

When Gekko looked over at his friends, his face lit up with happiness. He jumped off the front porch of his hut and sprinted up to Owlette, then wrapped her in a breath-draining hug. "Owlette! It's been so long! I can't believe you're back!"

"I missed you too, Gekko," Owlette smiled, trying to loosen his grip on her. She hugged him back, which felt strange, since he was almost the same height as her, unlike the last time they had seen each other. "You're so tall now..."

"Are either of you hurt? What happened?" Gekko asked frantically.

Owlette looked down in sadness. Catboy put a hand on her shoulder and expounded her backstory.

"She was attacked by Night Ninja and Romeo. Her land was invaded and very little remains."

"That's horrible," Gekko gasped. He hugged Owlette once more, only more gently. "It's alright, both of you can stay here. There's enough fruit to sustain all three of us, and not to mention my reptile friends."

Catboy grinned at both of his friends. "So, we're all together again. Excellent. Now let's hope no one takes Gekko's land."

"They conquered with machines and polluted my land," Owlette began to tremble. "Smoke and splats poisoned my birds, the trees rotted into slimy death, my grass was trampled and replaced with coal..."

"Owlette, it's okay," Gekko said. "We'll get the lands back and restore their life. The villains can take our lands, but they can never take us. They separated us once, they cannot separate us again."

"Were either Night Ninja or Romeo carrying a dimension-traveling device like this one?" Catboy asked, holding up his strange emerald machine.

"Yes. Romeo gave it to the Ninjalinoes and they abandoned me in our home city. But it didn't look like that, it looked more like a ray of sorts."

"I'm still surprised that Night Ninja and Romeo decided to start a successful camaraderie!" Gekko said, sounding like he was frustrated. "Remember how it went last time? With the shrinking hose?"

"Yeah. Good times," Catboy chuckled. "Their plans were ridiculous, but fun to defeat, when I look back. But now, they, the villains, have taken two of our lands."

"And Romeo said he has eyes for me," Owlette said, face turning mildly red.

"Ugh," Gekko gagged. "He's not taking you to a room alone if I have anything to say about it."

Catboy and Owlette both turned very red and burst into hearty laughter. Gekko also giggled lightly at his own humor, which he had always assumed was funny himself.

"Gekko, we have to do our best to keep this one alive and protect it," Catboy declared, suddenly serious.

"This land was created for me. All my reptiles, including the sea serpent, will protect us and defend their home."

"What sea serpent?" Owlette asked, slightly nervous.

"He's a big boy, but he's a friendly fella. I decided to call him Lionel Jr." Gekko bowed his head in mourning. "But Lionel's gone. I'm still going to keep the Lionel generations going on, though."

"Lionel died?" said Owlette.

Gekko nodded. "He died when Night Ninja took him away from me in the accident that separated us, and let the Ninjalinoes play with him. I think you know where that goes. I never got to see Lionel again."

"That's so sad," Owlette said in genuine sadness. "My Birdie flew away when the Ninjalinoes got ahold of me the other night. I don't blame her at all, but I think she may have passed..."

"All we can do now is hope none of us three get hurt or pass," Catboy said.

"And hope that villains don't go off and elope with their opponents, either." Suddenly she remembered the sword that Catboy had summoned earlier of free her from the shackles. "Catboy, I don't remember you having a sword as a weapon before the accident years ago."

"We've learned that weapons can be summoned to defend ourselves as villains grow more physically ambitious."

"But we only resort to them in dire situations," Gekko claimed. "My weapon is a trident. I don't know how the weapons pertain to our corresponding animals, though."

"I had no idea we could summon weapons out of thin air," Owlette said slowly. "And I don't know what mine is. I don't know what to say to summon mine."

"I've got something that can help," Gekko said, turning to go back into his hut. Outside a small hole that he called a window, Owlette could see him rummaging through a box of items, until he found a scroll stained in a few places. He returned to Owlette, unrolling the scroll.

All over the place, there were the colors red, blue, and green, and charts with powers linking to each animal. There was a section at the bottom of the paper that correlated the three heroes and their weapons: Catboy, of course, had a sword, Gekko had a trident, and next to a red owl symbol, a bow with a pouch of red arrows.

"My weapon is a bow and arrow?" Owlette said, holding her hands up to her cheeks in mild excitement. "That's incredible—Gekko, where'd you find that manual?"

"In the ruins of HQ," replied Gekko, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ruins?"

"When I returned to our home city, HQ was destroyed. I went through its remains and found a few slips of paper I had never seen before back when we were only six years old. So I took a few objects I held valuable and put them here. Oh, and, give me a second..."

Gekko went back inside the hut and came out a minute later with a stack of brightly colored comics. Owlette recognized the heroic woman on the front cover; it was Flossy Flash.

"You saved my Flossy Flash comics?"

Gekko nodded, his face innocently bright.

"Oh, you're too good for this world—" For what seemed like the thousandth time, she offered him more embrace. Though they were fourteen, it wasn't any more awkward to hug than it was when they were still little tots. After all, they hadn't seen each other in almost a decade.

When they were finished hugging, Catboy had grown a serious twinkle in his eye. "What if we prepared for combat here?"

Owlette grew afraid. "C-combat? As in violent combat?"

Catboy nodded. "It's necessary. The villains put up a fight. A violent one. The only thing left to try is getting our lands back by force."

"But, I can't—We can't—"

Catboy took her hands in his. "Look. I know that the PJ Masks exist solely to prove that superheroes don't have to be physical, and that they can use clever ideas to fight without using combat. But as we grow older, our need to defend ourselves has enhanced. So have the villains'. When things get really dire, we have to turn to our last option."

Owlette, rather hesitant to respond, only replied with a compliant nod, but then her words came to her. "Alright. I suppose that if we want to protect the world, we have to fight under any circumstance."

Like a filial child, Gekko clung to Owlette again. Her hand touched his, which were squeezed on her stomach.

"Gekko's become quite the hugger," Catboy said quietly.

Unexpectedly, something came to Owlette's mind. She remembered another creature that was quite the hugger back in her time as a younger PJ Mask. He was so helpful and innocent that now, it was hard to erase him from her mind.

"PJ Robot?" she murmured.

Gekko unhanded her abruptly, a sad disposition taking place in his green eyes. "He..." The reminder of the robot made his eyes misty.

"He was found destroyed along with HQ," Catboy solemnly explained. "I guess he couldn't escape before it crumbled into a forgotten heap."

Owlette's eyes were misty as well as she heard the news.

Gekko put on a false smile. "It's okay, maybe I could build a new one... I had had enough time when I was younger to study the composition of PJ Robot. I drew them on a blueprint and it's one of the things I have saved in my box. If I get enough resources, and maybe a little mechanical supplies from Romeo, I could build him again."

"'I'll write to Congress, tell 'em we need supplies!'"

Both boys stared at her, confused.

"It's a nerd thing."

"Um... Alright, then?" Gekko shrugged. "I have to build another hut for you, Owlette. It won't take long."

For several hours, Gekko strained, finding sticks and leaves and mud to patch the hut together. Catboy and Owlette helped find the resources and build the foundation of the hut as well, then Owlette decorated the interior to her liking. She found tropical flowers and sculpted flowerpots with clay she found by climbing clay cliffs. Then she lined the edge of the low ceilings with bright hibiscus flowers, and to top it off, she added a torch holder by the entrance of the hut.

The hut was complete just before the sun went down. As Owlette admired her interior decorations, she mistakenly switched from her superhero costume to a normal girl. Her hair was long and dark, eyes just as brown, and she had glasses and pink pajamas. She had grown tall and appeared rather intelligent.

As it turned out, Catboy and Gekko had changed back into their original identities—Connor and Greg.

And at the right moment, Greg poked his head through the entrance of the small hut.

"Looks nice," he complemented, startling Amaya.

"Thanks," she said, turning around and rubbing the back of her head. "Wait, you're back to normal... Greg, your eyes—"

Greg's eyes were even more prominent than ever. They were bright emerald green and popped out on his pale face, though his hair was golden and looked like straightened straw.

"Are they really that green?" Greg asked.

Amaya nodded. She sat comfortably on a bed Greg had helped her craft for her interior decorating.

"Um, do you want to have something to eat?"

"Oh my gosh, yes," Amaya moaned, clasping her hands together. "I've been yearning to eat for who knows how long."

Greg had pulled Amaya to a trio of logs surrounding a small campfire just outside the main hut. Connor was there, holding a stick to some fish that were roasting over the fire. There was also a large bowl of tropical fruits waiting on one of the vacant logs.

Because they did not like fish, Greg and Amaya enjoyed the fruit while Connor had his way with the fish. After a peaceful snack, they settled under the rising moon to talk, with the boys being especially interrogative of Amaya. They had asked her to tell them the likeness of her land, what the daily activities were. She had explained the details, such as the land being comprised of pink and red objects, and very lovely natural settings with gardens and cherry trees. She also claimed that each day, at least one new baby bird hatched from its egg to continue the generations, and she prattled about how beautiful it was each time. In her honor, the parents of the chick would allow Amaya (or Owlette) to hold it before the parents even had a chance to snuggle with it. Amaya had great respect for her birds, but now, everything that contributed to the beauty of her land was destroyed by her worst enemies.

Connor and Greg gave her their condolences.

The night grew peaceful again when it officially became dark. Gentle fireflies floated aimlessly around the three friends and gained sudden infatuations with the lanterns that hung from Greg's hut. It was then Amaya decided to call it a night; she carefully made her way through the grass and back to her hut to sleep.


	3. Memorial Nightmare

**Wow, a chapter three already? Yep! **

**So in this chapter, I explored the first like ten to twenty minutes of what happened before Owlette was banished from her realm. It's like a vivid flashback chapter, basically. **

**As for Gracekim20's question—I imagined that Catboy would have just turned fifteen, and Owlette And Gekko are still fourteen. The reason I chose these ages in particular is because it's the age where you're getting to understand some mature things, but you're also still a bit naïve. **

**Anyway, in with the spoopy backstory. **

**Chapter Three: Memorial Nightmare**

_Inside a passion pink castle, Owlette cowered against a wall. There were people outside her bedroom door, banging against it with all their might. It was only a matter of time before the lock couldn't keep them out any longer, and they'd break in. _

_Before this time, she had been peacefully whistling and strolling through her gardens of pink, nurturing baby birds who had fallen from their nests along the way. Several birds fluttered down to her shoulder to greet her, chirping in mellow tones. Nothing was shown on Owlette's face except for a wide, innocent grin._

_But then, there were clunking noises—toxic sounds of spraying. Owlette looked over from holding a baby robin and saw ugly gray-green smoke emitting from behind a hill, and trees wilting and falling from sharp swinging. Owlette gasped, hurriedly returning the baby robin to its parents and flew for her life. _

_"Everyone! Get to safety! We're being invaded!" she screamed as loud as she could to as many birds she could come into contact with. But as the toxic smoke pervaded the once fresh air, birds fell, no longer able to fly. They coughed up feathers, and dropped lifeless in an instant. _

_Owlette's face paled as hundreds of birds flocked past her for a safe spot in the land. But the land hadn't been to large—the smoke would surely cover up the skies in a short amount of time. _

_She quickly zipped up to the building she resided in, but smoke was already building up there. Before she knew it, Owlette had zoomed head-first into a cloud of smoke and plummeted to the ground. Despite her frustration and effort, she could no longer fly. Her only option was to flee to the inside of her home, which she did. _

_Now, Birdie chirped in Owlette's arms. She was wounded from trying to escape the invasion outside. Owlette remembered trying to flee to the safety of her home after sticky splats and dangerous industrial smoke began to conquer and kill her birds. But now, the locks couldn't conceal her for much longer. _

_"I know, Birdie," Owlette soothed, stroking her feathered pet. Sparkling tears rolled down her cheeks. "The door should hold up . . ."_

_Suddenly, a burst of Ninjalinoes surged into the room, surrounding the girl. The Ninjalinoes had come taller and with deeper voices than when Owlette had last seen them, and so did her two rivals: Romeo and Night Ninja. They were black silhouettes against the reddening walls of her home, their eyes seemingly turning into red voids. Night Ninja was holding a sharp katana in his right hand, while Romeo grasped a professionally made remote control. _

_But Owlette had not yet recognized them._

_Seemingly faster than light, Night Ninja tucked his katana in his belt, and launched himself towards Owlette, frightening Birdie to a high perch on the wall. He managed to pull her into a wrestling maneuver on the ground, her back pressed against the floor. Their hands were locked and Owlette's arms were shaking in an instinctive attempt to keep the ninja from overpowering her. Before she could realize what was actually happening, Night Ninja had fully pressed her hands to the floor. He then forcefully yanked her up, placed his hands on her waist, and shoved her against her bedroom wall. _

_He slowly reached back for his katana, pulling it out threateningly. His free hand was tightly squeezing Owlette's wrist, where she grasped his arm with her free one as tight as she could in utter fear. _

_Night Ninja held the katana high in the air—_

_"Wait—!" _

_The ninja froze, a cold, dead stare crossing his blue eyes. _

_"N-Night Ninja?" _

_"What do you think, Bird?" Night Ninja spat, holding the katana three inches away from her left cheek. "It seems after all these years I've found you again. Quite an achievement, eh?" _

_From the background, Romeo menacingly closed the door as it shut with a creak. The katana's blade was just grazing at her skin._

_"Romeo?" _

_"That's right," Romeo grinned, holding his remote control up to his shoulders. "It didn't take long to figure out that you had fled to a land. All I had to do was invent a land finder." _

_"Please, you don't know how hard it was for me to find this land!" Owlette begged, sinking to her knees and sobbing. _

_"Look at you, pathetic and all," Night Ninja simpered. "Time for revenge." _

_On instinct, Owlette raised her leg and kicked Night Ninja in the groin. As he yelped in agony, she dragged her way to the middle of the room, but the Ninjalinoes were already there. One made a clean cut across the palm of her hand, and another rammed his head into her knee to knock her down. _

_By the end of the ambush, Owlette was injured and weak. Night Ninja had made a full recovery and was advancing toward her, katana in hand._

_"Night Ninja, we can resolve this peacefully!" Owlette cried, wincing in the middle of the floor. She attempted to scoot back, but it was rather difficult a cape dragging along with her. At last, she felt her back bump into a wall, and Night Ninja seemed to be coming faster, and faster, jumping up into the air with his katana wielded—_

Amaya shot up from her bed, gasping as loud as ever.

She began panting fiercely. She was freezing, pale, and her lips were dry from dehydration. For a few minutes, she had been in that trance-like state, her head bobbing and the rest of her body paralyzed.

Amaya only snapped back to reality when she saw Greg at the entrance of her hut, holding a flaming torch.

"I heard you gasping all the way from my bed!" he said, putting the torch on a stand fixed to the wall and rushing to the bedside. "What happened?"

"That's the first time my nightmare has been formed from a tragic memory," Amaya whispered, slowly turning her head. Her face regained its color. "I felt completely powerless, I couldn't defend against Night Ninja at all . . . He and Romeo overtook my land, sent my home crumbling, they let their minions attack me and my birds . . ."

Greg leaned over to hug Amaya around the side of her neck. "I know, I know. It's happened to Connor. He told me he had nightmares for a week straight, and that they were hard to suppress." His gaze strayed from Amaya's distraught face to her hand. It had a dry red scar straight across it. "Did they get physical?"

"Mhmm . . . I remember Night Ninja nearly impaled me with his katana. He had me cornered against a wall, he cut off the circulation in my wrist. And Romeo maliciously watched from behind, smiling. It's the worst I could have imagined."

"It's alright, that's all in the past. When we're prepared, we can fight back. It's okay."

"But I feel like I'm leaving so much behind," Amaya sniffled, wiping her nose. "I left the few surviving birds to die, I let those villains take me away from my home."

"It's not your fault—"

"I wish I'd sent my strongest owls to guard the edges of the land. Then maybe they could have stopped the invasion."

"It's okay, Amaya. I know that hundreds of lives were lost, I get it. But we can restore the life of your land once we overthrow the villains." Greg yawned and rubbed his eyes. "We can talk a little more in the morning. The hut building really drained the energy out of me and I can't lose anymore sleep."

"Oh, alright. Goodnight."

Greg turned to leave, and he grabbed his torch on the way out.

But a minute later, Amaya heard the sound of wood friction. She hopped out of bed and peered outside her hut to see Connor, back turned, staring at a little cackling fire. His hands rested on his knees and he seemed fixated on the fire for no reason.

Amaya, being ever so quiet as to not disturb her rediscovered friend, tip-toed up to the log he sat on, and swung her legs over, taking a seat next to him without a word. She folded her hands and stared at the fire with the same trance-like expression that Connor had.

She waited for some kind of response to her presence, until tapping his shoulder twice.

Connor's eyes gained consciousness again, and he turned his head. He so much taller than Amaya remembered him to be, and his eyes had quite a special spark in them that she had never seen in anyone else.

"Are you okay?" Amaya finally had the courage to ask.

Connor's eyes seemed to show subtle discontent. "Since you've returned, I've felt more inclined to protect you and Greg, especially you," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Now I'm somewhat paranoid that the villains are out to get this land. With each evil victory, a villain grows more ambitious, it makes them feel powerful. I want to stand guard, even if it means losing sleep. Oh, and the fact that I've developed insomnia."

"Wait, what?"

Connor nodded. "I know it's a low chance that the villains would track this place tonight, but I want to be extra sure."

"You need sleep, we all do," Amaya said gently. "Maybe we should take turns standing guard. I'll do it tonight, take a break—and get away."

"Huh?"

"Musical." Amaya flipped her hair back. "Are you sure you want to stay out late?"

"I've been staying out later than all those nights we fought villains together in our childhood. The accident left me too paranoid to lay back. I had been searching for answers to the questions I had just hours after the accident, and I frequently left my land to see if you and Greg were still in our old city... or, at least, what remained of you. Don't be mad, I looked back through your Flossy Flash comics, signing each one with my alter ego's name . . ."

"Yeah. I remember Flossy Flash. It was a good series."

"And I looked in Birdie's cage, saw she wasn't there."

"Birdie survived and she landed in my place with me," said Amaya.

"I saw Lady Wigglesworth, your cuddly. She was still intact. And your bed was perfectly made, as always, and your books were on the shelves just the same. And some of the things you brought for show and tell for school were even there."

"Connor, when did all of this happen?"

"It happened over the course of a few years. Ever since I learned how to travel between the worlds, I had been checking in our old city at least once a week to see if you or Gekko were there. I checked at night, mainly. As it turned out, Gekko had just learned how to travel, and we found each other, but neither of us were really hurt. Then he took me to this world—and now here we are, a year later. Gekko stayed here to protect the land while I went out to find you. We switched roles every night and checked every night. One way or another, we had to be reunited so we can restore the life of our lands."

"Wow. Really seems like you had quite the dedication," Amaya said in awe.

Connor sighed and nodded, not taking his eyes off the fire.

"Well . . . I guess I'll go back to sleep."

"You should."

Amaya rubbed her arm and crept back into bed.


	4. Topic of Discussion

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new chapter. **

**First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for the kind and positive reviews. It really boosts my self confidence, especially since I'm normally afraid to show my work to people. And since I've been a part of the PJ Masks fandom for literally YEARS, it's great seeing some long-time fans give positive comments on a project I'd been working on for months. **

**Secondly, there is some HUGE inspiration from Amphibia that is evident in both this chapter and in the next chapter, which I will post in a few days. It was from the episode "Bizarre Bazaar," and if you haven't seen Amphibia, I definitely recommend you check it out. It is very compelling, the characters are likable and work off each other, and there are some mysteries that haven't been solved and it keeps you at the edge of your seat. **

**And this has nothing to do with anything, but I have to say something: I will likely be updating my stories more. Due to the recent corona virus outbreak in America, my home country, school has been cancelled for the rest of March for me. So I will have a lot more time to work on my stories. **

**Anyway, sorry for the long author's note. Without further ado, here is chapter 4.**

**Chapter Four: Topic of Discussion**

The next morning, it was rather sunny, but a very large, gray cloud began to sweep over the rainforest, and it rained on half. A vivid rainbow could be seen in the distance.

Greg was the first one up. He greeted the native reptiles and amphibians, who crept into his hut overnight. Then he seated himself on a log in front of the fireplace, even though the fire had gone out.

Next to come out was Connor. As normal, he had purple bags under his eyes from his insomniac-like behavior. He staggered over to the fire and sat down next to Greg, bidding him a good morning.

"Connor, Amaya said she had a nightmare last night," said Greg, swinging his legs over the log. "I went to check on her and she said she had a nightmare formed from some memory."

"I know. I was up at night, too. She came out and talked to me."

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Greg asked, sighing and resting his head in his hands. "At least we're all together again. But with that, it means that we know Night Ninja and Romeo are still wandering about, alive. The villains could potentially find this land and . . . You know what happens from there."

"Yes, maybe, but at least we know where they are: In Owlette's utopian land. I don't know who will come after this land, but—" Suddenly, an amazing glimmer of hope came to Connor's mind. A superhero-like thought, someone adept in rescue and combat crossed his mind. The thought made him smile, widen his eyes, and sit up straight.

"Um, what is it, Connor?" said Greg, tapping his friend's shoulder.

Connor rubbed his chin and mused, "There's a _certain_ place we could visit in order to get in contact with a _certain_ person."

Greg's eyes widened and he froze. "Oh, no, you're not thinking of _that_ place, are you!"

"Of _course_ I am," Connor grinned, enthusiastically gripping Greg's shoulders. "We are going to—"

Greg moaned it reluctantly and Connor said it with wild enthusiasm, "_Mystery Mountain."_

"Do you realize what great trouble we could get into!" Greg gasped, ready to slap his friend back to reality. "It's so dangerous there now, Night Ninja might be there. It has changed over the years, you know, we _saw _it!"

"Well, we aren't going directly to the mountain. More like, _near_ it."

Greg paled. "No, no, no, no . . . You aren't thinking—"

"_The Mystery Market."_

"Hey, guys!" Amaya came sprinting out of her hut and popped up behind the boys, hugging them. "What's the Mystery Market?"

Greg patted the spot on the log next to him, gesturing for Amaya to sit down. "We'll tell you, but it won't be pretty."

"Mmm, okay." Amaya swung her legs over the log and sat, folding her hands.

Greg was just about to explain, but Connor cut him off. "Remember Mystery Mountain?" he asked, leaning over.

"Um, heck yeah, I do. Really amazing place."

"Well, do you also remember the samurai girl, An Yu?"

Amaya nodded. "You bet! She's awesome, wonder if she's still out there."

"We have to get her help or something like that," Greg groaned, crossing his arms.

"What's got you so down?" Amaya put a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Didn't you love Mystery Mountain when we were younger? Seeing all the great things and mystic scenery?"

"Amaya, after we were separated, a bazaar, or marketplace _thing_ was established there. It's called The Mystery Market, and it's not the safest place, you see."

"A mountain market? Oh my gosh, let's go!" Amaya squealed, throwing her arms up into the air. "I've always wanted to visit an Arabian-style bazaar, imagine a _Mystery Mountain _version! Oh, I so wanna go now!"

Greg closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, Amaya, you don't want to go. The Mystery Market is dangerous. Lots of scary thugs and super-villains in disguise, so to speak. I've only been once, Connor's been there several times, and let me tell you, totally not the place to be."

"We've faced near-death at age six, you're scared of a marketplace?" Connor said, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, we'll go in our superhero forms. After breakfast, though, I'm kind of hungry."

Breakfast, which consisted of mangos, bananas, and raspberries (graciously provided by the friendly reptiles, whom Connor and Amaya were still slightly uncomfortable with) was over and done with shortly. Greg had to be encouraged to go to the Market a little further, before finally, he reluctantly accepted that there was no getting out of this. He was the youngest of them, after all.

And with that, they suited up in their costumes, as Connor had emerged with the claim that it would conceal their true identities, and Anyu would be the only person to recognize them. The trio met by the fire, and each of them looked at Gekko's little dimension-traveling device.

"The sun should be setting back in our old town by now," said Gekko, caressing the device. "Now's the time. We'll go to the location of the portal, and we'll show you to the Market, Owlette."

"Uhh, I don't remember the hand motions to get through the portal," she admitted, looking rather disappointed.

"No worries, I remember how to do it," Catboy said proudly, putting his hand on his chest. "Okay, ready to travel, guys?"

Gekko and Owlette nodded. The three of them put their hands together, and Gekko pressed the device, creating a bright, firefly-green glow, as fog whirled around them, and as soon as the light dimmed, the three children were gone.

**Sorry this one was short. I want the chapters to have varying lengths, like some with extremely intense moments and some with just simple, short and sweet moments between the now united superhero team. This one is sort of opening a door to what may happen in chapter 5. **

**Welp.. *awkward goodbye to my fellow awkward PJ Masks fangirls/boys***


	5. The Mystery Market

**Yes, this is one of the longest, yet freakiest chapters so far in this story. Oh, believe me, there are a few disturbing things for the faint of heart. I should know, I'm quite faint of heart too. I just imagined what would disturb me and wrote it down. But don't worry, Gracekim20, there aren't any giant bugs—but there are a couple other things. **

**As I said in the author's note last chapter, this took huge inspiration from Amphibia. Or more specifically, one episode, called "Bizarre Bazaar." You can sense some similarities with this chapter, but it's also very different. I don't know, I just had a lot of fun writing about the Masks exploring a world that's changed so much since they were small children. **

**Anyway, here we go. **

**Chapter Five: Mystery Market**

The bright green light reappeared back in the very center of town, dropping the trio off. As it disappeared, Gekko landed on his backside, followed by Catboy, who bellyflopped into a bush. Owlette was the last to fall, and when she did, she flailed her limbs everywhere, but soon caught herself midair.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, circling through the air. "And . . . Whew, looks like my flight powers are back."

"I'm okay," Gekko grunted, rubbing his rear and giving her a thumbs-up.

Owlette fluttered over to the bush where Catboy landed, pulling him out and helping him to poise himself. "You okay?"

Catboy rubbed his head. "Mhmm, fine. Now, let's go find the port—"

"_Oh my gosh! The museum_!" Owlette shrieked, bouncing excitedly. As it turned out, the museum was in the center of town. The old fountain was exactly how Owlette remember to be, with the exception of some moss and some rusty sunken pennies in the water.

As for the museum, it looked just the same. It was large and grand, presenting quite a historical appearance, with torn banners still draping off the rods fixed to the building. Owlette rushed up the stairs that led to the door, holding out her hand to rub the walls. When she touched the door, though, it cracked open, as if it were compelling her inside.

"I wanna see my childhood," she whispered, nodding back at her friends.

"Owlette, no!" Gekko shouted.

The heroine looked back, narrowing her eyes with confusion. "Why not? There's nothing here."

"That's not true," Catboy warned, walking up the stairs. "There are traps in there. Look." He opened the door wider, revealing a tile that was slightly more elevated than the others, and some ropes and a strange setup that ultimately led to a cage somewhere on the ceiling.

"That's a pressure plate." Catboy pointed at the elevated tile. "Watch." He grabbed a small pebble from where the museum's outside wall had been chipped, and threw it onto the pressure plate. The plate lowered, triggering a switch to cut some ropes holding up the cage. The cage fell with a loud clang, dropping over the tiles and the museum went quiet.

"See?" said Gekko, coming up behind Owlette. "Best we avoid going in there, okay?"

Owlette nodded, looking rather upset. "Can I at least see where HQ used to be?"

"Yep. But, um . . . Don't freak out," Catboy said.

"Why would I freak out?"

"You'll see," Gekko mumbled, ushering his friends forward. His eyelids were lowered, like he seemed very upset to be back in the town.

The Masks strolled through their old city, hardly seeing any signs of life or residence. There were very few vehicles, but the cars that were left had black marks on them, tattered and old, with broken windows. The lampposts flickered, some cracked. Occasionally, a lamppost would go out with a loud pop, startling the two youngest teens.

Owlette spotted the park that they played at on Saturday afternoons, but it hadn't looked so friendly. Multiple swings had broken ropes, the slides were stained with disgusting liquids, and the metal playground equipment was all rusted or damaged. Owlette, feeling rather sentimental, landed next to a swing set and rubbed it, on the verge of tears.

"What happened here?" she whispered sadly.

Catboy cleared his throat, preparing to explain. "I suppose the city never bothered to pick up after the accident. It cost many lives, and most of the city's population abandoned it. Now, the few people left are just very poor or are criminals. The bank is frequently robbed, and more people are out during the night. So we have to be very, very careful."

"Hold on! Gekko, didn't you say that HQ was in ruins?"

Gekko nodded. "Yeah, but I suppose we could swing by," he joked, nudging the broken swing set with his elbow, grinning.

Owlette chuckled quietly while Catboy facepalmed at the unoriginal punch line.

They continued on their path to where their old headquarters used to be, passing old places where the PJ Masks had saved the day as their younger selves. Owlette was the most ecstatic of the three, which made sense, since she hadn't seen the city in its former beauty since she was a young child. Sentimentality flushed through her, as she bounced about with tears coming to her eyes, leaving Catboy and Gekko to just follow and accept that Owlette's unusually perky, emotional side would die down when it was ready.

Well, as Catboy thought about it, he actually considered it quite rare to see Owlette this bubbly. He decided to just enjoy what was happening. After all, he hadn't been with her in who knows how long.

Finally, Gekko, feeling abnormally paranoid and grumpy, remarked, "You're pretty much going anywhere besides the place you said you wanted to visit."

Owlette stopped whirling through the air and looked down, her eyes spinning with dizziness. "Oh, right!" she smiled dumbly, hitting herself on the head lightly. "I think it's this w—_WOAH_!"

The girl's joy was instantly destroyed upon beholding a heaping pile of dark ruin rather than the totem pole-like tower that stood in the center of the moat. Small fires smoldered about the heap, blackening and shriveling the garbage.

"WHAT THE _HECK_ HAPPENED HERE!" Owlette shrieked in a shrill voice, making the boys cover their ears in shock. "It wasn't like this—_WHAT_?"

Gekko sighed and prepared to explain everything. "The accident left HQ in ruins, as we said, with the exception of some old items, like some toys we used to play with. I don't know why the accident really affected HQ more than the rest of the city, though. It's weird."

"B-B-But—" Owlette's eyes dilated, tears coming to her eyes as her lips trembled. Before she fell on her rump from wobbly legs, Catboy rushed to her side to support her. He pushed her up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, we should get to the portal," he murmured softly. He sighed and trudged forward in the direction he knew the portal was.

Owlette almost exploded into a yell, her face turning very red, before she suppressed it with a gulp, sobbing into her hands briefly. She lifted her head back up seconds later, wiping her tears away.

Gekko approached his dear friend and reached for her hand. "Look, I know it's in ruins," he soothed, taking her other hand. "But at least none of us three got hurt. At least we're all alive and together. Catboy and I thought we'd never see you again . . . I thought I'd never see Catboy or you ever again. HQ wouldn't last, we all knew we'd have to abandon it someday." Gekko smiled and hugged Owlette tightly. "And I still think it's weird that I said HQ was in ruin yesterday and you act surprised today."

Owlette rested her head on Gekko's shoulder and mumbled, "I guess I just forgot. And seeing it in person is more damaging than hearing about it . . ."

"Let's just follow Catboy to Mystery Mountain." Gekko grinned weakly and, still holding Owlette's hand, sprinted after Catboy, Owlette shrieking about how fast of a runner Gekko had become.

Catboy led the team to a shady alley somewhere in the city, where trashcans and litter were scattered all over. When Gekko jumped and slid his feet against the pavement, Owlette was flung off with great force. Fortunately, she was not injured, but she stood back up and looked around, as though she recognized the place.

"I remember now," she said, putting a finger on her chin. "Not the hand motions, but this place."

Catboy stepped up to the wall at the end of the alley and did a series of peculiar hand gestures, ending with his fingers forming a sideways figure eight. The walls parted, and a bright light was shown behind the bricks.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so _excited_!" Owlette squeaked, putting her hands on her cheeks. "Let's go in!"

With no further hesitation, she dove head-first into the portal, and the boys followed promptly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The PJ Masks ended up on a cobblestone road surrounded by warm orange paper lanterns and a thick forest of bamboo. Ahead were ferocious-looking imperial guardian lion statues carved out of stone, and a path that led to some stone stairs.

"Oh, it's just how I remember," said Owlette sighed, slouching a little bit and grinning widely. "That perfect, slightly chilly air, the midnight glow, the peaceful atmosphere . . . Really sucks you in."

"Alright, no more wasting time," Catboy said sharply, facing the path in front of him. "We have to get to the Mystery Market and find An Yu. I can't be positive she's there, I haven't seen her in months, but I bet she'll be somewhere here."

Gekko began to shake and hunch his back. "C-C-Catboy, are you sure about this? The Mystery Market is kind of f-freaky, like everyone there just stepped off the stage from performing in a freak show."

"You'll be fine," Catboy responded, waving his hand in a somewhat condescending manner. "You wanna avoid getting your land conquered, right?"

Gekko nodded gravely, before his hand was snatched up by Owlette and he was dragged through the cobblestone pathway. The two older Masks made several twists and turns on the path, panting, just as they came across a parting in the trail. On the right was the continuation of the path up the mountain, and on the left, an archway with colored beads attached to strings that hung down from the top of the arch. A faint sound of music that sounded like a combination of the flute, drums, and trumpet being played could be heard coming from the left.

"This way, to the Market," Catboy whispered, holding the beaded strings up for his friends to enter. Once they did enter, they saw more lanterns, except they were red and gave off a more dim glow. The lanterns were lined up on a wall that stood along another cobblestone path that looked more recently constructed and contemporary than the other path.

Catboy lurched forward in a ninja-like motion, gesturing for his friends to follow. They slowly crept along the stone trail, the sound of the Arabian-Chinese music breed getting louder and more intense. Gekko clutched Owlette tightly, as she assured him that everything was just fine, but by the time the former had quieted down, the trio had finally reached the official entrance to the Mystery Market. It was a medieval-style iron portcullis, meant to be activated by a rusted iron lever to its left, and a sign hung above the portcullis, reading: **_The Mystery Market. _**

"Now, all we really have to do is pull the lever," Catboy explained, reaching

his hand out for the lever.

Suddenly, a large, well-built guard with a spiky metal mace stepped in front of the lever, wielding his weapon aggressively. He had a clean red scar over his left eye, and a gray cloak that dropped over his body, only leaving his head to see the world. He must have been at least a foot taller than Catboy, which said a lot, because Catboy was very lanky. The guard snorted, sending a cold shiver down the former superheroes' spines.

"Ya got an entry fee?" he grunted, poking his clawed, meaty hand out from the parting in his cloak.

Catboy looked shocked and completely perplexed. "Who are you! Entry fee? Last time I came here, there was no entry fee I had to pay!"

"Mmm, well, tough luck, kid," the surly guard said flatly. "Ya can't get past the gate unless I get the fee."

"Um, Catboy," whispered Owlette, leaning over to her feline companion, "I could just fly over and carry you and Gekko over the entrance, no problem."

Owlette spread her wings and took off, but out of the blue, two tall, unfriendly-looking guards jumped off the top of the portcullis, frightening her into falling on the ground. "Hold it, Feather Face. Ain't gonna happen," snarled one of the guards, holding a sharp spear close to her neck with both hands.

"Woah, woah, _woah_!" Catboy slapped the spear away from Owlette, relieving her. "Okay, come on, the last time I was here, no one had to pay an entry fee! This isn't just and I will not stand for it." He crossed his arms and frowned.

"Well, they established this policy last month, so you're gonna have ta pay," the third guard, who was holding a sword, growled. "What da ya got?"

"Catboy, we have nothing!" Gekko panicked to the leader, startling him. "What can we possibly give a bunch of greedy Market runners?"

The three teens looked at the first guard, who was waving his clawed fingers back and forth, as if to say he wanted his entry fee right then and there.

"We have to think of something," Owlette mumbled, resting her elbow in her hand and holding her cheek. "Is there some sort of currency that this place uses?"

Although Owlette was not speaking to him directly, the second guard shook his head and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Oh boy," Gekko sighed. "Umm . . ." He looked to the right and saw a purple light emanating from the shrubbery around the mossy portcullis wall. "I'll be back in just a second, you guys."

"Wait! Gekko!" Catboy exclaimed, trying to grab Gekko's tail to slow him down. But it was too late; he'd disappeared into the plants.

Catboy and Owlette looked back at the guards and smiled nervously, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"I don't have all day!" the mace-guard shouted, tapping his foot and smacking his hand with the handle of his mace. "If your little friend ain't back in one minute, all three o' ye are finished."

Gekko returned thirty seconds later, only something exotic was in his hand. It was a big, bright purple hibiscus flower, dotted by dew and shining in the dim lantern light. All three guards gasped in surprise, staring admiringly at the exotic plant. One of them sneezed, likely due to an allergy.

"Th-The Chinese Firefly Hibiscus!" the third guard exclaimed. "It's only the rarest flower around!" His excited countenance changed to a scowl. "How could a couple o' rug rats like you possibly find it in under a minute, while I've been searchin' since I was just a lad! A _lad_!"

Gekko shrugged and held out the flower. "Will this do as an entry fee?"

The first guard gently took the flower, as his comrades surrounded it and gawked at it. "Y-You may proceed," he said politely, switching the lever so that the portcullis opened.

Relieved, the PJ Masks passed through. Owlette stopped dead as they stepped through, beholding the Bazaar ahead.

There were stands with patched quilts above them, lanterns hanging from metal rods, and tough-looking, mischievous people walking all around. Slouchy, dirty men could be seen pickpocketing richer folk, stealing gold and vibrant gemstones left and right. The stands held exotic items, such as jewelry, interesting food, and even animals that appeared both adorable and deadly. However, the stand vendors did not all look very inviting. Most were ominous and stared at random people who passed by, except for one, a cheerful female vendor in a bejeweled blouse and bell-bottom pants who almost looked like a genie. Her stand displayed jade statues of Kirin, bearded Chinese dragons, majestic unicorn stallions, and even phoenixes engulfed in jade flames.

Catboy and Gekko came to both of Owlette's sides to stare at the place with her. "Okay, Owlette, you have absolutely no idea how to act here, so just keep your head low, try not to spill anything about your identity. These guys are incredibly rough and dangerous. Trust me."

Owlette smiled unassumingly and gave him a thumbs-up.

"And . . . Just, be cautious. Most of the customers here are men, so whenever the occasional women come, they tend to be . . . Harassed. Some of these men are very violent, but not everyone is particularly dangerous. Please, please, just be careful."

"I will. Don't worry. Just because we're younger, doesn't mean we'll get in trouble." Owlette confidently put a thumb to her upper chest. "But I'm so excited, anyway!"

"How are you _excited_! This place is a madhouse!" Gekko gasped, gripping Owlette's shoulders. "Lots of creepy crooks and thieves who are missing eyes, replacing their blind eyes with expensive diamonds. Owlette, your common sense is down the drain!" He collapsed at her feet and gasped in fear.

"Dramatic, much," Owlette chuckled.

"Look, focus, we have to find An Yu. Please be careful."

"No problem."

"Here, take this," Catboy blurted, pulling some dark fabric over Owlette's head.

"Hey—What gives?"

"Flame-proof cloaks. They're free," said Catboy. "Lots of street performers do tricks that involve fire. You take one too, Gekko."

"Ugh, these things stink. Literally," Gekko groaned as he took the cloak and smelled it, sticking out his tongue.

Owlette sniffed her own. "Mine doesn't smell so bad," she shrugged. "But it's covered in dust."

"They wash a certain group once every three months. You must've gotten one that's recently been cleaned," Catboy explained. He slipped on a cloak of his own. "Now, into the Mystery Bazaar. Oh, and maybe we can buy something cool from a stand."

The three walked under their cloaks, huddling together and dodging buffed-up ruffians. Occasionally, a Market visitor would bump into one of the teens, with a typical rude retaliation of, "Watch where you're going, kid!" or "Hey, move it!" They found it quite annoying, because many of the customers in the Mystery Market were just impolite thugs.

"Well, they could at least show a bit of _decency_," Owlette had scoffed to herself after a run-in with a pair of thieving fugitives. They were holding large, stuffed sacks full of valuable objects.

"Come back here!" a guard had shouted, taking a full-blown leap over the teens' heads.

Catboy kept the sharpest eye out for An Yu, while his friends mostly admired the shops and items for sale at the Market. They walked around for a few hours, taking their time in gawking at the riches some customers had and drooling over some delicious food that passed by in street carts.

In the middle of the trip, they heard someone's stomach growl. Gekko's face turned red in embarrassment, clutching his tummy to keep it quiet.

"Okay, I'm starving. Can we please eat something?" Gekko complained.

"I suppose we could eat something," Catboy admitted, looking around to find a good food cart.

Eventually, a cart full of bowls and rice and chopsticks passed by, a psychic lady in a cloak pushing it. Gekko licked his lips in hunger and approached the woman, somehow dodging a busy, bustling street.

"Wait! Gekko, I don't really like rice!" Owlette called out to him, cupping her hands.

"Okay!" Gekko shouted back. He stepped up to the cart and tried to look presentable, going as far as pulling back the hood of his cloak.

"Two bowls, please," he said to the woman.

"You going to pay?" she replied, opening a wart-covered eye that turned out to be blind.

"Umm . . . Mhmm . . ." Gekko looked down at the ground and found a small potato sack, and shook it, hearing several coins clinking together, almost conveniently there. "Aha!"

"Two gold coins," the woman grunted.

Gekko threw two of the coins up onto the cart and claimed two bowls, as promised. He stuffed the rest of the coins into a cloak pocket as he tossed the potato sack aside, then made his way through the bustling street, and handed a bowl to Catboy.

"Thanks, Gekko. You want anything, Owlette?"

It took awhile, but the Masks eventually found a cart that sold the food that Owlette had requested: fruit. The fruit bowl cost only one coin, thankfully, and soon, the teens found a table in a dining area filled with flabby old men and samurai in dark robes.

"I tell you, this is one _bizarre _Market," Owlette commented, trying to lighten the mood of the place. "The only thing normal about it is the food. It doesn't seem like it comes from anywhere unique, really."

"That's just how this place is," Catboy said, shrugging. "We don't know why the heck it is this way, but it is. I don't wanna waste too much time eating, though. The smell of the chefs cooking down at the end of the dining area gives me a stomach ache, and we still have to find An Yu."

"We'll find her," Gekko reassured his friend. "Don't worry."

A bony woman, who was so pale that she might as well have been a skeleton, trudged along the side of the table, holding a tray of drinks. The Masks sat unnaturally still as she passed, and nearly fainted when she quickly darted her head in their direction.

They were each expecting a hideous, haggish voice, but instead, a rather friendly one came out of the woman. "Would y'all like some caramel cookie-crumble banana-with-a-dash-of-mint smoothies?" she asked kindly.

The teens, relieved that she wasn't a skeleton seeking to eat them alive, sat up straight. "Sure," Owlette said, resuming her unusually perky attitude.

The woman smiled and passed out the three smoothies, which looked very appetizing. "They're free, you're off the hook," she whispered to Gekko, noticing him digging for change to give to her. Each of the teens sipped the smoothie, and made sounds of approval.

"Wow, this is one _bazaar_ beverage!" Catboy joked. "Even though this is a Market and not a bazaar." He then proceeded to chuckle, as the woman laughed too.

"You're such a hoot. Oh, and did I mention that the smoothies are filled with black widows?"

The kids gave her a confused glance, before looking back down at their drinks. Black spiders scuttled out of the smoothies at high speeds, some straight out of the drink, others squeezing up through the straws. Before the Masks could react, the woman let out a shrill, ugly laugh and stroller away.

Owlette paled, her pupils shrinking. "AHHH! _SPIDERS_!" she shrieked at her highest note. A second later, she fell backwards, and everything went black.

"Owlette? Owlette!"

Owlette snapped awake. "I'm up! I'm up!"

Catboy and Gekko sighed in relief. "Are you okay? You passed out after the spiders crawled out of our smoothies."

Owlette groaned and shook her head. "Five more minutes." She fell back again, but this time, Gekko was there to catch her. "I take back my comment about the food being normal here."

"I had no idea you were afraid of spiders. We should go now, no more ordering food from the Mystery Bazaar," he said.

"Where's that lady!" Owlette shot up again, an angry scowl across her face. "I'd like to give her a piece of my mind—"

"We can't waste any more time! An Yu is around here somewhere," Catboy blurted, coming between Owlette and Gekko. "Last time I saw her, she was wandering the Market. Let's keep looking, still about a mile of it left."

Gekko and Owlette let out exhausted groans, but they followed their former leader anyway. They left the dining area, and got back on the streets of the Mystery Market. This time, they presented a more focused demeanor.

"Okay, Owlette, listen," Catboy whispered to his feathered friend, leaning over slightly. "I don't recommend screaming in the Mystery Market. For one, it could cause an avalanche to fall from Mystery Mountain, and two, especially, the ruffians here don't take well to weakness. I know you're feeling friendly and bubbly and all, but they don't take well to that, either. And screams from a woman especially tend to, well." He directed Owlette's head to an old, toothless man, who looked quite happy, given that he had been tied up and thrown to a dark side of the Market.

"I've been sitting here for five days!" he laughed, still maintaining a welcoming demeanor.

Owlette cringed and proceeded walking. "That's what happens if people are nice here?"

"Pretty much. Either that, or they get turned into a pretzel. We'll let you decide. In the Mystery Market, it's either be quiet or be aggressive."

Owlette raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what about the name Mystery Mountain? There's nothing so mysterious about it now, there are dozens of people in this Market!"

"Well, I'm not quite sure. To be honest, I have just theorized that this is another dimension and other people are living here, and have only recently discovered the mountain."

"Okay then . . ." Owlette trailed off and hung her head low. She was hoping for a place full of life color and kind vendors hoping to sell their products to her, and shifty thieves occasionally moving about the top of the market stands, but no, it was just another place for villains in normal people's bodies.

All of a sudden, Owlette heard great, thundering stomping, and was crashed into full-force by a tall, rotund bandit wearing a black mask over his eyes and nose and wearing expensive-looking items all over him. He was carrying a sack of valuables over his shoulder.

"Hey, outta my way!" he spat in Owlette's face, startling her.

"What the—? Why?" Owlette meekly asked, her voice barely getting to the bandit's ears through the sounds of the bustling market.

"_MOVE_!"

Owlette heard the faint sounds of deep yelling, along with swords being unsheathed. At last, she stood, a cross look in her eyes, ready to stand her ground.

"Why is everyone here an absolute _jerk_!" she said, setting a furious emphasis on her last word. "Why can't we all just be decent human beings?" Owlette started to pace around, her arms tossed up in the air, as the bustling crowds began to halt. Several men started murmuring about a street fight between a sassy cardinal girl and a classic market thief, although most of the carried rumors were untrue, as expected.

"Just move over, kid!" the bandit roared, panicking. The guards were getting three feet closer every second. The bandit raised his hand high up and shoved Owlette to the side, nearly knocking her to her knees, and clamored away, six guards in flame-proof cloaks and straw hats with silver scythes chasing after.

But two of the guards stopped in their tracks just feet away from the three teens, and held their sharp scythes out just inches from Owlette. "No street fights in the Mystery Market," one of them said in a raspy, hoarse voice.

Gekko and Catboy quickly stepped forward to come to her aid, but she simply waved them off, winking. Catboy scratched his head, slouching.

"Ahem, what flies here and what doesn't fly seems to be kind of unbalanced," Owlette began, placing her hands on the end of one of the scythes and hopping up on it. "You see all these ruffians running around, looking like total super villains with bad disguises, and swiping money left and right, and you are concerned with a street fight? Tsk, tsk, boys." Owlette crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "And threatening me, someone who isn't even legally old enough to drive, doesn't exactly improve the market's reputation."

The guards looked rather puzzled. They lowered the scythes' angles.

"Um, girl's got a point," the other guard, the one who hadn't spoken yet, said to his coworker.

"And really, the place is a mess," Owlette went on, making her friends look more and more bored and reluctant each second. "Not to mention, you do a bad job of _not_ terrorizing your customers. We were literally served drinks infested with spiders earlier, and I was the one who fainted. Hmm hmm, can make anyone die of fright if they're afraid enough. Oh, and also—"

The first guard had his head in his rugged hand. "Alright, alright!" he roared in beggary. "Just, please . . . Stop talking."

Both of the guards hurried off to get away from Owlette's big-mouthed persona.

Owlette closed her eyes, smiled to herself, and did a hand gesture that resembled flicking hair back. "There, I shook 'em off. Let's go."

Catboy and Gekko were staring in awe. Their eyes were wide open, jaws slacking. "You talk . . . A lot," Gekko mumbled.

"You could talk yourself out of taking a school exam!" Catboy exclaimed.

"Mmkay, yeah, I've learned to be vocal, since birds were very vocal all the time back in my land, but we should get a move on. An Yu is somewhere, I just feel it. I really miss her."

Out of the blue, the whispering of a peaceful flute silenced the market at once. People looked around the place, dropping any valuables they had, to find who was playing the beautiful sound. Murmurs and rumors spread quickly, some about a dragon coming to curse them all, and the Chinese flute was its call, others being about the mountain's wind whispering with flutes.

"Hey, look! I see someone!" Gekko pointed his finger at a tall rock where a silhouette was standing, holding a flute of bamboo. "It's An Yu."

The name summoned a chorus of gasps across the Mystery Market, as people began to genuflect in front of the rock. The silhouette front-flipped off the rock, ceasing the melody of the flute.

"Greetings," she said flatly. Indeed, it was An Yu. She had grown to be about as tall as Catboy, still wearing her beautiful gold and red samurai armor with a dragon symbol on her helmet. Her eyes were still the same red like the fire of a cold winter night.

"A-An Yu!" Owlette's eyes widened, as she hunched her back and her mouth dropped open.

"Greetings, An Yu," Catboy said calmly, standing straight and bowing with his hands clasped together. "It has been awhile."

"Indeed it has." An Yu put her hands behind her back. Gekko came up to her and hugged her, creating a rather awkward situation (An Yu had not been too familiar with affection).

An Yu looked over and approached Owlette, who was still agape. "You may speak now, um . . . I do not recall your name, Miss."

"Owlette." Owlette stood up straight and bowed quickly, putting on her brightest smile. "It's been so long! Oh, you still look awesome."

"Mhmm. Thank you, Owlette." An Yu put her hands together, bowing. "Pray tell, where have you been all these years?"

"Same place as those two," Owlette answered, pointing her thumb at the boys. "In my land. I was attacked and injured by Romeo and Night Ninja."

An Yu's pupils shrunk as she straightened in surprise. "Night Ninja! That treacherous _rat_! I knew he's been up to something ever since he started leaving Mystery Mountain alone. What has he done to your land?"

A crowd was beginning to form around the four teens. An Yu glared at them, holding out her flute, and the people went back to their activities.

"Well . . . They took it over. Claimed the lives of my birds, polluted my once lush land, and just conquered and overthrew me. I've grown too much of a pacifist to physically fight back nowadays."

An Yu shook her head. "No, it's just fine." She lowered her eyelids as her eyes darted left and right. "We should get out of here before something else happens. Now, I presume you didn't just visit the Mystery Market to wander about?"

"We came to look for you," said Gekko, stepping forward. "We need your help—You probably think this is petty, but—"

"It isn't." An Yu blinked. "Do you know what serious danger the villains put the world in? By invading your lands?"

"Uhh, we'll have to re-meet our friends and parents and start our lives over?" Owlette questioned.

"No, no. You see, Owlette, there is a balance among you three. A balance that must be maintained or things could sink into major chaos. The lands and you three are here to maintain balance. But the lands aren't so much as important as the three of you. The lands, we could do without; they are simply an aspect of what you are associated with, but what we really cannot keep the balance without are the keepers of three special bracelets. I have been assuming all these years that your costumes are the result of a magical transformation stemming from a bracelet you wear at all times."

"Uhh, yes," Catboy answered. "Proceed."

"Well, if the villains destroy you, they'll take the bracelets. And the bracelets are only given to good people. If they aren't, the balance is broken and destruction will reign. But I trust you to protect the bracelets. They are older than you may think. They date back centuries. Do you want to know the reason you are superheroes? It is because superheroes actually protect this balance. The aspects of goodness and humanity. I am unable to associate each of you to different aspects, however."

"I just met you again like five minutes ago and you're already talking more than me," Owlette mumbled in awe.

An Yu grinned and nodded. "I see you've handled the Mystery Market quite well."

"For her first time, yes," Catboy said, just as Owlette opened her mouth to speak.

"Mmm. Still naïve and vigorous, Wonder Wings."

"Hey! I know some things," Owlette blurted, laughing at the same time.

An Yu straightened. "I was not being serious. You are each very wise and skilled. Of course you've learned some things over the years that we have been apart. And it is great to see you again, Owlette."

"You too," Owlette smiled.

"Come along. I want to stay in the remaining land to help protect it. Away from the Market."

"Thanks for doing this," Gekko said, wearing the smallest grin. "I know it means you have to abandon your duty of protecting the mountain."

"Well, danger has not come to Mystery Mountain in quite some time. It can manage on its own. Right, Mountain?"

The mountain responded with a rustle of musical wind, as An Yu patted a rock next to her. "You see?"

"Okay, we should go now."

"Right. Onward."

The four of them hurried the opposite way they came through the Market, weaving from stand to stand, around the giant thugs with disguise masks. Gekko was given a piggyback ride by Owlette, who soared above Catboy and An Yu. An Yu took the lead, using her special bamboo staff to conjure wind that allowed her to glide. Catboy ran at her side, his Cat Speed doing him quite the favor. As they neared the entrance the Masks had come through, they quickly formulated a plan to leap over rather than asking the guards to lift the portcullis.

"Excuse us, we're in a hurry!" Owlette yelled, turning her head to look back at them.

The guards stared at her, puzzled.

**Yes, sassy Owlette has returned! I love it when she's sassy, yet vigorous, it really brings out her character. I decided to make her excitable and naïve, yet able to stand up for herself in certain situations because that's really what I can see her becoming. And of course, Gekko was nervous, who wouldn't be if they were the smallest of a group? **

**Chapter 6 is currently in the works and isn't complete yet, so expect a small wait for it. **


	6. Night Ninja's Warning

**So I was going to finish up what needed to be finished of this chapter last night, but I was just so worn out that I decided I'd do it in the morning. But, everyone's waited long enough, so here is chapter 6. **

**This one was a doozy to write, it took a long time. But it is really important. **

**I don't know what else to put here, so...**

**Chapter Six: Night Ninja's Warning**

The trip back to Gekko's rainforest was a cinch. Once An Yu and the PJ Masks had reached their city, Gekko simply activated the green device, which, to his surprise, had not been stolen by any thieving ruffians.

The same light from before transferred them back to the land, but An Yu was the only one who landed on her feet. Catboy bellyflopped into a small pond, Gekko fell on top of his hut, and Owlette landed in a tree.

"You guys okay?" Catboy quivered, crawling out of the pond and shivering madly.

"Ough . . . You okay, Catboy? I know you don't like water," Owlette groaned. She had landed on a branch that had hit her in the stomach quite painfully.

"No worries, he's gotten over his fear of water," said Gekko, leaping off his hut. "I'm so proud of him."

"Ah, shucks," Catboy blushed.

An Yu was standing on one leg next to the rainforest pond, her hands pressed together. "Quite a peaceful place to meditate," she quipped, her eyes closed. "Perfect atmosphere, no distractions. I am quite pleased to see that you live here."

"If you count hungry mosquitoes as '_no distractions_'," Gekko sarcastically remarked, doing finger quotes at no distractions.

"Hmm, fair point. Regardless, this place has the perfect climate. I was getting a little cold in the mountains."

Owlette fell out of the tree, thudding on the muddy ground, and staggered forward. "So, what now?" she asked, clutching her gut.

"We'll have to patrol the city. Tomorrow," Catboy answered, drying himself off with his hand. "But we'll wait. I'm certain it's almost sunrise back home."

"Indeed. And I must stand guard," said An Yu. She turned to Owlette. "You and your friends had best get your rest. All four of us are patrolling your city tomorrow, although I am not too acutely familiar with it like you three."

"An Yu, I really don't think we should bring them, especially Owlette."

The dragon girl turned. "Catboy, she is very well capable of defending herself. So is Gekko. I realize that you two have been traumatized by past affairs with villains, but as long as we defend each other and trust one another, we might just have the greater chance of winning. Please, do not let your entitlement as leader make you believe that they are completely defenseless."

Catboy sighed. "Okay . . ."

An Yu nodded. "Good. Now, rest, all three of you. I'll keep watch as you sleep."

Owlette perked up. "Wait, did you say '_watch us as we sleep_?'"

"No, no!" An Yu covered her mouth to conceal laughter. "Ahem. No. Just rest. I won't see your true identities, I'll look away."

"Mmm, okay. I'll rest, but can we please eat something? It's been hours since I last ate and I didn't even get to finish it because some jerk lady put spiders in our smoothies."

"Ah, classic bazaar tricksters. Gekko, you have some experience in culinary arts, don't you?"

"Haha, yep!" Gekko smiled. He rushed off, intending to find fruit to make a meal out of.

Dinner was delectable, of course. Catboy had finally given in to An Yu and Owlette begging him to treat himself to sleeping. It took twenty minutes of endless talking, as social teenage girls usually had done.

"Yeah, I can talk anyone into anything," Owlette smirked, high-fiving An Yu.

So, An Yu kept watch and shielded her eyes as the Masks slipped out of their superhero forms and went to bed.

In the morning, when the sun arose, the three sleepy superheroes awoke at similar times. An Yu was standing outside the huts in her elegant position, arms behind her back. When all three slogged out of their huts (in their superhero forms), she greeted them with a brief smile, and reached over, grabbing a bowl of fruit.

"Eat quickly. We are starting our patrol in five minutes."

"Woah, okay, getting down to business early, aren't ya!" Gekko laughed, sweating and rubbing his head.

"Of course. Now please hurry. I have something to show you."

After the PJ Masks devoured their fruit (being forced to eat first and taste later by the samurai), An Yu gathered them around and pulled something out from behind her back. She held out her hand, revealing a small, bright gold, hexagonal gemstone with a button. It looked rather similar to Gekko's green one.

"Wait, you have one too!" Gekko blurted, putting his hands on his face.

An Yu nodded. "Yes. I do have one. I found it in the pagoda recently. I hadn't known there was one of these, but—well, here we are now."

Owlette squeed with excitement, her eyes beaming at the little gem. "Oh my gosh! Do you know what this means, you guys?"

The boys shook their heads.

"It means there might just be two other gems, one for me and Catboy. A blue one and a red one. We could possibly stop the villains from causing ultimate corruption and destruction, and we can take back our lands! Those villains had absolutely no right to barge in and overthrow us, so we can overthrow them."

"Ah." An Yu tucked her little device away. "If you two had these devices you would have known by now. Plus, I'm afraid we aren't ready to overthrow any corrupt tyrants yet, Owlette. It takes a lot of preparation and persistence, not to mention will."

"But—I do have will!"

"Yes, but do you have armor, supplies, spare weapons, and perhaps a plan?"

Owlette solemnly stared at her feet. "No, I don't . . ."

"Well, we can fix that," An Yu said with a sudden change of tone. "Come on. I have some supplies at Mystery Mountain."

"Wait, Owlette, we do have weapons," whispered Gekko, leaning over to her ear. "Remember? Our powers gave us weapons."

"Ohh! Never mind, An Yu, we do have weapons!"

"Hmm. All we really need is armor, then. Up to Mystery Mountain, we go. There should be some armor in my pagoda. But, after we patrol the city. The villains are bound to go after Gekko's land."

The PJ Masks nodded. They put their hands together on top of An Yu's gemstone, and they were gone in a blinding flash of yellow light.

Once again, they dropped down in the middle of an alley in the city. An Yu somehow landed on her feet in her elegant stance, but the other three, significantly less graceful teens fell on other parts of their bodies. Thankfully, the impact was not hard enough to severely injure them.

"Is everyone here?" An Yu quickly asked, holding out a long finger and scanning her surroundings.

"Yep," came three voices all at once.

"Excellent. Now, let's patrol the city for one to two hours, since anything could happen and the city is decently large. If nothing comes, we'll head to Mystery Mountain and prepare to overthrow those who overthrew you."

"Seems we have a new leader," Catboy murmured to Gekko, who nodded in straightforward agreement.

"I heard that. Now come along, we'll split into pairs," An Yu announced.

"Ooh! I call dibs on being An Yu's patrol partner!" blurted Gekko, leaping over to the samurai's side and wrapping a hand around her shoulder.

The feline and owl heroes shrugged, accepting the fact that they'd have to be in a pair for the patrol.

"Alright. Now, disperse across the city, we will meet at the city's museum in one hour. If we are still up for it, we will patrol for another hour. Clear?"

"Clear," the Masks all chorused.

An Yu nodded confidently, then seized Gekko's hand and dashed off, him yelping behind. "Bye, you guys! Good luck!" he called back.

"Heh, bye, Gekko," Owlette mumbled, doing a small wave. She turned her focus to Catboy, who had a small, closed grin.

"Come on. We'll start our patrol near the park. After all, the villains had a very weird tendency to chase trouble in the places that were most populated during the day."

"Eh, okay," shrugged Owlette, lifting herself a few feet into the air. "Err, let's go, then."

Catboy activated his Super Cat Speed, which caused an electric blue glow to emit from the stripes on his costume, and sped off on the streets of the city. Owlette followed close behind, soaring above him and scanning the city thoroughly.

…...

Gekko was quite the energetic kitten compared to the serene old dog An Yu was. He was leaping between empty trash cans in the alleys, skittering across walls with his camouflage on, and checking underneath pretty much everything in sight. On the other hand, An Yu walked in perfectly straight lines with her hands behind her back, quietly glancing around to see if she could spot anything suspicious.

Lucky for them, nothing had come. It was like fate had decided to spare them that night.

"So, An Yu," Gekko said rather inattentively as he gaped at a cardboard box a raccoon was digging into, "what do you think we will find out here?"

"It is not likely we will find anything. We may find a few criminals sneaking about, but nothing beyond that."

"Oh, okay, that's good at least." Gekko flinched when he heard the lightbulb from a cracked lamppost bust and give out. "What will we do about the criminals if we find any?"

"Retrieve what they stole, and let them off with a warning—I don't exactly know. Your old town works in a different way than the Bazaar. There, you only get in trouble when a guard physically sees you rob any valuables, and when one does, it is certainly not pleasant. The guard will force you to return what you stole, or he will forcefully rip it from your grasp, and punish you in any way of his choosing."

"Goodness," Gekko peeped, his tail beginning to drag behind him. "I'm glad we got out of there. I don't think I would have stood another moment there."

"I don't think you would have either."

"Yep... Wait, hey!"

An Yu chuckled quietly and kept striding forwards. "Gekko, there is something I need to tell you."

"Yeah?" Gekko asked, followed by the sound of clattering iron. "I got my foot stuck in an old bucket."

"Do you . . . Remember what Owlette said? About the teleportation devices?"

"Uh, yes, why?" The lizard hero freed himself from the bucket, as it launched itself dozens of feet away and landed in some body of water with a loud splash. "I think that thing landed all the way in our old HQ's dirty moat."

"Well . . . Gekko, I need you to make a promise."

"Mhmm?"

An Yu turned around and pressed a finger to Gekko's chest, getting him to focus. "I can't have you saying a single word about this to Catboy and Owlette. Promise, Gekko."

"A-alright! I promise," Gekko stuttered, pressing An Yu's hand away and putting his own hand on his chest.

"Good . . ." The samurai girl leaned close, scanning the area to ensure nobody else was near. "There are more than two teleportation devices."

"Wait, what?" Gekko almost fell on his rump from shock. "Do the colors correlate with Catboy and Owlette's suits?"

"Indeed, they do. And there are two other devices as well, an orange one and a purple one. I am not quite sure who they belong to, though. Never met anyone besides you three and a group of villains."

"But, if Catboy and Owlette have their own . . . Where are they?"

"I—I don't know." An Yu sighed and stopped for a few seconds. "Let us proceed. I don't want to hear another word of this until the two of us are alone again."

"Of course." Gekko followed her, and for once on the patrol, he walked in a straight line.

...….….….

Nothing for the first ten to thirty minutes for Catboy and Owlette, besides the frequent blinking of cracked streetlights or a little endearing alley cat (each of which Catboy's pupils expanded at and showed sympathy for).

But as he was dashing along the fences of their old elementary school, something caught Catboy's eye. A small, slogging figure was dragging its hands along the concrete in the courtyard. Catboy could not interpret it in any way with the darkness of night, so he signaled up to Owlette under the moonlight, and she swooped down.

"What's the trouble?" she whispered. Catboy pointed silently at the shadow. "Oh. What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Catboy breathed, lunging to catch a better view. "Here, I'll jump over the walls and you'll fly, then we'll try to get a good look at it. It might be a villain, I want to be sure before we leave it be. Just, be very, very silent."

"Got it. Super Owl Wings—" Owlette fluttered over the wall, followed by Catboy, who leapt over and gracefully landed on his feet. They crept closer to the slowly hunching figure, holding their breaths just to prevent anything resembling a sound from coming out. They went from ten feet away, to six feet away, to three feet away—

The figure lurched into an area of concrete bathed in moonlight. It was revealed to be a Ninjalino, except, it wasn't small and nimble like a normal one—it was a bit larger than usual, though still short, and had an eerie white-dotted hood like the Ninjalino uniform pulled over its head. From the void where its head was to be under the hood, two blue glowing dots emerged, furious and cold.

"Catboy . . . _Catboy_! _That's a Ninjalino!_" Owlette whispered urgently, clinging to her friend. "It's so _weird_—"

"It must be a special kind of Ninjalino," discerned Catboy, more fascinated by the thing than Owlette was. "Perhaps it's some mutated creature taking the form of a Ninjalino, or Night Ninja mutated one of his own minions. We have to be careful. Be very qui—"

"_Hoobaaddababerrbb_!"

Catboy and Owlette shrieked simultaneously, quickly holding on to one another as the figure stared them dead in the eyes. It seemed to sense the panic in their eyes, huffing out the cold winter air like whitened smoke. It ambled towards them in its zombified walk, further terrifying the teens.

"Run!" the two Masks screamed, nearly touching noses. They bolted out of the courtyard, the Ninjalino following close behind as it picked up its pace. It unleashed angry, goofy-sounding battle cries, stamping after them with its fist raised threateningly. Owlette went airborne, and the frigid wind had a surprising urge to whip against her already numb, rosed cheeks.

The victims and the predator raced around several corners of the city, blocks and around some corner cafés, knocking black wooden chairs over. The predator slammed against quite a few cars and left heavy dents in the doors, cracks and shattered glass in the windows.

"We can't shake him off!" Owlette panicked, some of her Super Owl Feathers molting out of her cape from fear. "What are we gonna do, Catboy?"

"_Oh, I'll tell you what we're going to do._"

Owlette froze for half a second—then felt a tremendous impact like a sack of bricks collide with her back, and she was flung straight onto the road. A pain combination of burning and bruises rushed down her spine, almost like she'd snapped it straight in two. Upon slamming against the concrete, she yelled out, sheer agony ripping through the dead night silence, followed by what felt like a splitting spine.

"_OWLETTE_!"

_Thud_.

"_Quiet_, _Whiskers_!"

The sound of objects whizzing through the air and landing in a splat ran through Owlette's ears, as she slowly tilted her head up from the concrete, tears running down. Catboy was struggling against some sticky colored material that had managed to pin him by his limbs to the ground. An eerily familiar silhouette stood firmly between both of them, fists clenched, cold eyes flaring.

_"Night Ninja."_

Indeed it had been. "I see you've met a _very_ special someone," the silhouette breathed, turning around—it was Night Ninja's charming, yet cold voice. The strange Ninjalino waddled over to Night Ninja's side, and Night Ninja patted its head. "Just what happens when I test a bit of new splat on one. I see it worked like a charm." He let a raspy chuckle out, appraising the Ninjalino, then Owlette. "Quite frankly, I didn't think you'd break out of your constraints, Feathers. I didn't even think anyone would find you."

Owlette recovered from the impact and brushed herself off. "You sure have a habit of underestimating us," she spat, roughly jabbing her finger against his chest. "You—You—"

"Oh, really?" Night Ninja subtly pressed her hand back down to her side.

"Night Ninja! You better not try anything!" Catboy growled from his sticky prison. "Ughhh . . . Super . . . Cat . . . _Sword_! _Gah_! I can't summon it! Summon your bow!"

"Oh, what would I possibly try, kitty? Pull out a chainsaw and grind you to shreds?" Night Ninja made another subtle move and seized Owlette's wrist.

Catboy conjured strength, ripping out of the splats and emerging from the ground like a zombie from a cold grave. He marched over and forced a distance between the villain and his friend. "Get away."

"But I just got here!" Night Ninja sounded exasperated, but was smirking underneath his face-concealing mask. "Why on Earth would you want me to leave so soon?"

"Hmm, let me think," Owlette started, leaning a little and placing a hand on her hip. "You almost got me severely injured, you tried to keep my friend on the ground and you've kind of invaded my home!" Each suggestion she made, she grew closer to Night Ninja dangerously.

Night Ninja simply snickered and pushed her back. "_Please_, a mouse could have withstood that attack."

"Excuse m—!"

Catboy held out his hand for her to stop and stared at Night Ninja. "Scram. No one wants you here."

"I do," said Night Ninja, folding his hands. "I want me here. And perhaps this little guy does, too. Don't you?" He looked down at the Ninjalino, and it nodded. "There you go." He wielded a couple of shurikens between his index and middle fingers, preparing to toss them.

"Go," Catboy ordered of Owlette, shoving his arm in front of her.

"But—"

"Now. Go."

"But what about—!"

An entourage of hooded Ninjalinos leaped out of nowhere and surrounded them, holding silver shurikens between their fingertips. Catboy and Owlette pressed their backs together sheepishly, as Night Ninja stared through the other ninjas at them. "Nowhere to run," he said, releasing a brief cackle.

"Think again!" Owlette scooped Catboy up from under his arms and flew him upward, much to the ninjas' surprise. She gently set him down near a cracked, flickering streetlight, mildly incapacitated from lifting Catboy's weight. She clung to the pole, frowning worriedly.

"Seize them!" ordered Night Ninja, stabbing a finger towards them. The Ninjalinos assembled into a line, springing to the streetlight, only for the Masks to quickly shift out of the way with how slow they were. The Ninjalinos all amassed into a giant squirming pile of tantrums and outbursts of indignation.

Night Ninja facepalmed. "Ugh, I knew I should have gone for the speed improvement splats."

Catboy took this brief moment of Night Ninja's frustration to yank Owlette into a hiding place on a dim city block. He gripped her shoulders, staring into her eyes, and said, "We have to find Gekko and An Yu. We cannot stop all those ninjas by ourselves, there are too many. Let's go, and quick, before they get into any more shenanigans."

Owlette nodded, wanting nothing more than to escape the tyrannical boy who had conquered her home. "Okay . . . Let's go this way, they wont see us." She stretched her wings and flew in a direction away from the ninjas, Catboy right behind her. As soon as they were a safe distance from them, they heard Night Ninja yell:

"THEY GOT AWAY!"

"Serves him right," she murmured, leaning close to Catboy's ear. "Just hope that An Yu And Gekko haven't landed into trouble yet."

"An Yu's very skilled and Gekko has learned to handle himself, I'm sure they're fine."

Night Ninja's voice was heard again; "Let me warn you, PJ Masks," he started, as Catboy picked up on his faint footsteps nearby. "There won't be any escape. When you return, you'll find a special, pleasant little surprise waiting for you. I have something extra special for you, feathers."

Catboy and Owlette clasped their hands over their mouths in horror. They raced around city blocks and more café corners, past apartment buildings and schools. They skidded to a halt by the museum in the center of town, panting for breath.

"Where are they . . ." Owlette asked, worried.

"Umm, they're coming." Catboy pointed out past the museum, and two colored figures were sprinting up quickly. Indeed, they were An Yu and Gekko, but they didn't look too bewildered or overwhelmed.

"Hey, you guys!" Gekko exclaimed, slowing down. An Yu calmly stepped onto the museum property, silent. "You see anything? We didn't come across anything in particular."

"We had a run-in with Night Ninja," reported Catboy, holding his knees.

"What?" An Yu said suddenly, surprised. "Did anything bad happen?"

"Nearly. We got out of there fast as we could. Owlette was injured slightly, but other than that, nothing was hurt except Night Ninja's feelings."

Gekko snickered. "Good one. You okay, Owlette?"

Owlette grabbed her arm. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just disturbed—"

"We should go after him, then," An Yu suggested. "He can't be out in the city without us knowing what he's doing. He might not be up to any good."

"Since when is he ever up to any good?"

"Never," Catboy quipped. "Come on. We should go find him again. Hopefully, Romeo isn't out here as well, he'd bring even more trouble."

The others agreed with a nod and proceeded into the city.

**Whew! Glad that's over with. I haven't started on chapter 7, sadly. But I have some ideas for where I'm going with it. For now, that's all for Restore the Realms. **


	7. Return

**Hey guys, welcome back to Restore the Realms! First off, I'd like to apologize for updating later than normal, I was working on other things. Secondly—today is my 15th birthday! (I am way too old for this fandom but who cares. ;-;)**

**Since it's my birthday, I decided to give all of you a gift as well: the seventh chapter to RTR. I hope you all enjoy, or feel a bit depressed, because this one does get sad towards the end and it explains some things, and even brings back to a character we've previously seen only once in the story. This chapter's important to say the least. **

**Oh, one more thing—I am soon going to publish a cover for this book, designed by me. For now, I'm still trying to decide what exactly will give readers a good feel of what they're going to be seeing or getting into, as any good book cover should. **

**But enough of all my boring announcements, here is chapter 7.**

**Chapter Seven—Return**

The PJ Masks and An Yu did look through the city thoroughly for another exhausting two hours, but they didn't find Night Ninja or any mutant Ninjalinoes. An Yu theorized that the ninjas left after realizing they had some superheroes with a life's worth of experience on their belts up against them, while Catboy just assumed that they'd "given up like sissies."

"But . . . How could they have even gotten here?" the samurai girl wondered, pacing in front of the others, who were seated upon an old city bench. "They inhabit Owlette's Realm now."

Owlette crossed one leg over her knee, and put her fingers to her temples. She could have sworn she'd seen the Ninjalinoes use something to get back to the city from her realm when they dumped her there . . .

"Wait—I think I know how they got here."

Everyone turned to the owl heroine.

"Before the Ninjalinoes left me in the city, I saw Romeo give them some small device with a red button back in my castle. They used it to get here, and I think that's what they've been using to get back and forth between our childhood home and my Realm."

"Of _course_ Romeo made another teleportation device," Catboy grumbled.

"Perhaps they used the device to go back to your realm as well," said An Yu. "Such technology . . . Fascinating, but it could make catching them more difficult than it needs to be."

"How will we ever get to mine and Owlette's realms without the necessary tools to get there?" Catboy questioned, resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning his face in his hands.

An Yu subtly winked at Gekko, and he winked back. "We'll figure that out eventually. First, we must suit ourselves up for a potential war against our foes. Your suits aren't immune to tears and damage, and even my armor isn't. All of you are going to need weapons, and I know just where to find some."

"I-in the M-Mystery M-Market?" Gekko shuddered, hugging his knees and quivering.

"Hmm hmm, no. While vendors there do sell weapons for a fairly decent price, we can get them for free in Mystery Mountain, if we head up to my pagoda. It's where I have been residing all these years, watching mercenary brutes and conmen establishing stands and amassing money. But my fortress has always been protected from them, booby traps do come in handy. There are some weapons, resources and armor stored within the pagoda, even though I haven't experienced the need to use them—until now, which I see is very necessary."

"We already have weapons, they come with our suits," Catboy said, spawning his glowing cyan sword on command.

"Weapons are highly susceptible to breaking. It would be a good idea to bring an extra."

"Well . . . I guess so. If you say so, An Yu." Catboy put his sword away.

"As for armor . . . Yes, pajamas definitely do not make decent protective wear. And resources, food can be found all throughout the mountain, if you just look hard enough."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Owlette exclaimed, leaping up from the bench and taking off into the air.

"Woah woah woah, hang on, Wonder Wings," Catboy chuckled, reaching out and gripping the end of Owlette's feathered cape. "We can't fly. Don't go off without us. You remember that one mission we had when we were little, when Romeo stole the roller coaster to catch his lab?"

Owlette froze in the air for a moment, she seemed to be in a state of remembrance, like she was having a flashback. Oh, how she missed those days . . . Everything was so much simpler, any problem was solved by teamwork and a tight friendship, not by deeply thinking things through or having to summon weapons to defend yourself. She did miss being only six years old, back when she was still young, naïve (well, more naïve than she was now) and not very experienced with missions.

"Things are . . . Complicated now," she mumbled, gradually drifting to the ground.

"Okay, can we please go to Mystery Mountain, I'm starting to get a bad feeling being in the city too long," Gekko ushered.

"Of course. Follow me, to the portal." The samurai strode in front of the Masks, and they followed like curious disciples. During the walk, Gekko clung to Owlette's leg as she silently hovered above, but she didn't really mind.

Everyone expected to hear suspicious noises that resembled a Ninjalino's war cry, despite not letting the others know of their own suspicions.

"And, just like that, we have found our way," An Yu smiled with pride, bending over and extending her arm as if she were presenting the portal entrance to a higher power. "Allow me."

She stepped up to the stone brick wall, and performed a series of poses and finger gestures, finishing it off with a figure-8 that traced glowing golden magic like floating lace. The stone wall cracked and crumbled, then part of it split into two with its bright portal awaiting entrance.

"That girl is everything I want to be," Owlette gawped, her jaw dropping dumbly.

"What? Those gestures are nothing."

"But you did them so flawlessly—"

"Ah, it was nothi—Wait. What is _that_?"

An Yu pointed up into the air behind the Masks at an object with thin appendages flapping vigorously against the night air, presumably towards the group, at very high speeds. Owlette squinted at the object, and when she realized what it actually was, she gasped, both enraptured and frightened, and clasped a hand over her mouth.

"_Birdie_?"

The pink pigeon cooed, and promptly landed in Owlette's trembling hands, gasping for breath.

"What? Birdie? She _survived_?" Gekko gaped in astonishment.

"Wow. I can't believe she made it back to the city, and found you," said Catboy.

"Who's Birdie?" asked An Yu.

"Oh, Birdie . . . You look so scared and tired . . . What happened to you, sweetie?" Owlette stroked her pet's wing feathers affectionately, then noticed something in Birdie's petite claws. "What's this?"

She gently removed the object from her claws, and took a good, long look at it to process what it was. It was a machine of sorts, with a gray-green primary color, and a huge red button that resembled a cherry. "Wait. This—this is the device the Ninjalinoes used to take me here!"

"Do you think she took it from Romeo to get here?" Gekko proposed, petting Birdie's head with his fingertip.

"Well, obviously. She must have noticed I was gone and she couldn't stay in my realm any longer, so she figured out she could get here by using the teleportation device. Oh, you're such a smart little girl, Birdie! _Who's a smart bird? You are, yes you are!" _The heroine nuzzled her bird and laughed cheekily.

Catboy couldn't help but snicker upon seeing Owlette behave overly affectionate with Birdie.

"Ahem. The portal awaits," An Yu muttered, gesturing to the portal with her eyes.

"Oh, right—sorry. Do you think we can feed Birdie when we get there, though? I don't think she's eaten in days, poor girl."

"Alright. I believe I have some seeds she can eat in my fortress. Now we must go." An Yu didn't wait any longer—she swiftly turned with her hands behind her back, and went through the portal.

The others followed behind, and the stone bricks shifted back to their places like nothing had ever happened.

Inside the realm Mystery Mountain resided in, the four teens popped out of the portal, with only An Yu landing on her feet gracefully. "Alright, up, up, clumsy little baby seagulls."

"Wow, straight up insulting us now, huh?" Gekko deadpanned, standing and brushing himself off.

"Well, I was trying to perform the action which Catboy has referred to in the past as 'roasting,'" An Yu explained, raising an eyebrow at Catboy, who blushed and chuckled nervously.

"Okay, quick! Up to the fortress! Birdie needs her food!" Owlette zipped up into the air with Birdie in her arms, only for Catboy to swipe the end of her cape.

"Hold on, Owlette. Stay with us. Knowing you, you might accidentally step on one of the booby traps and get hurt."

"Well, good point . . . Hey, what do you mean '_knowing me'_?"

Catboy didn't respond and instead proceeded with An Yu and Gekko onto the cobblestone path, which was surrounded by warm orange lanterns and lush, tall bamboo. Owlette followed after him, still hovering in the air with mild impatience, but she couldn't help breathing in the crisp air of Mystery Mountain, as it reminded her of some kind of strong incense. In fact, she could hardly take her eyes off her surroundings—she hadn't even been down this path in years, yet nothing had really changed; there wasn't any moss on the cobblestone path, the plants were all still alive and in their same places, and the actual mountain was practically untouched by outsiders.

Along the way, An Yu played a lovely melody on her flute, which calmed the rest of the group. Birdie even tried to chirp along with the rhythm of the song, and Gekko could have sworn he saw the bamboo bending along with the song as well.

Sooner than they knew it, the group finally made it to the heavy fortress gate.

"Now, follow me, step exactly where I step," An Yu instructed, pushing the gate open with caution. "There are certain tiles which don't trigger a trap if you step on them. I know which of the tiles you need to step on. Come on."

She led them to a platform where several rows of tiles lay in place, undisturbed, peaceful, without any traps going off.

"Oh. Owlette, don't try flying—that triggers a trap."

"Aw," Owlette pouted, folding her cape back.

An Yu sighed, then stepped on one tile, then another, and another. Catboy followed close behind, with Gekko behind him, and Owlette behind him. Each made no mistake in stepping on the wrong tile, and they successfully made it across without triggering any traps at all, much to the samurai's surprise.

"I'm quite impressed none of you lost your balance and triggered any deadly traps," An Yu praised with a contented smile. "Now into the pagoda." She ushered them into the structure ("Hey, you seem to be in a hurry," Owlette pointed out) and closed the door behind them.

"Here, you will find everything you need for battle," said An Yu, walking up to a lantern and lighting it with a pocket match. The whole room lit up instantly, revealing dozens of artifacts stored in different corners of the room—shields, samurai armor, helmets, swords, and other metallic weapons, and even some jade statues locked behind shiny glass cases.

"Wow, An Yu, I don't remember some of this stuff being here years ago," Gekko commented, walking up to an iron shield and picking it up to observe it.

"You find rather interesting things in the market," replied An Yu, caressing the tip of a rusty spear.

"Okay okay okay, all scary weapons aside, where are the bird seeds?" Owlette asked urgently.

"Ah, right, bird seeds . . ." An Yu tapped her chin, pacing around the room, then she approached a mottled wooden chest carved with illustrations of samurai taming Chinese dragons. She unlocked it, and rummaged through it before recovering a small pouch. "Here we are, a pouch of seeds."

"Oh, _thank you thank you thank you!_" Owlette zoomed over and retrieved the seeds, taking some in her palm and offering them to Birdie.

"Okay, now that we've made it into the pagoda and found weapons, we have to choose the right resources to take to the battle for our realms," said Catboy, placing a steel helmet on an armor stand. "Shields is a given. No doubt Night Ninja or Luna Girl might use their freaky shurikens and that luna magnet against us, so we have to be prepared for that. Extra weapons could be useful, if our suits get damaged, the weapons are likely to be damaged also."

"Wait, Catboy, how do you know that?" Owlette asked, staring gingerly as Birdie ate from her hands.

"Trust me. Back when Luna and the Wolfies battled for my realm, my suit was damaged as I tried to defend myself—and my Super Cat Stripes couldn't launch as far, my sword was cracked on the blade. The larger the damage on the suit, the larger the damage on your powers and even your weapon."

"So . . . That means, if my suit were to be damaged, my Super Owl Feathers would, like, not work properly or something?"

"Nope." Catboy breathed onto the surface of a metal breast plate, and rubbed it with his arm so it sparkled once again.

"Hold on, hold on. Catboy, you never told me the story of the fall of your realm," Owlette remarked, leaving the rest of the seeds on the floor for Birdie and fluttering over to the armor stand. "Could you tell me?"

"Hmm. I suppose so. Gekko, you wanna hear the tale, too?" Catboy offered.

"Oh, heck yeah, I do," Gekko enthusiastically said, inattentively dropping a shield on the floor. He rushed over to his friends' side, clearing his throat. "Now, little Chicklette, sit on the floor, as it is story time."

"Gekko, that was my name when Romeo gave me the mentality of a baby," chuckled Owlette, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. "But I'll sit if that's that you want."

"Okay, good." Gekko placed his hands behind his back.

"Um, what are the three of you doing over there?" An Yu questioned, looking up from another chest she was digging through.

"We're telling the story of how Catboy lost his realm to Luna Girl and the Wolfies."

"Oh, yes, do go on. I'll be listening over here."

"Very well," Catboy uttered. "So, I'm sure it was as peaceful a day as was yours before your realm was claimed, Owlette . . . Very normal day, I expected nothing to happen whatsoever. I was out near the crystalline cyan waterfalls, as I'd conquered my fear of water by then, and I had my friend Aquarius the Lion by my side. He and I went way back, we had been friends since I'd first landed in my realm—"

"Okay, get on with it," Gekko groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yes. Ahem. As I was saying, I wasn't expecting anything to happen—that was, until a beam of pink energy suddenly whipped past my ear, barely missing me and instead landing in the pond which the waterfall spilled into. I turned my head in surprise, only to find that the pink energy was forming a dome over the entire land, and was starting to reach the other end, forming a sort of force field around the entire thing—"

"And then Luna Girl and the Wolfies showed up!" Gekko exclaimed, leaping in front of Catboy.

"Not quite," Catboy corrected, pushing Gekko to the side gently. "Anyway, the felines of my land all began to panic. Kittens sprinted to my feet, bawling, lions roared in the distance at the pink dome. As I tried to calm them all down, everyone goes silent, and I heard a maniacal, bratty laugh echo across the land, followed by passionate howls. They were sounds I hadn't heard in years, but I was immediately able to identify them as belonging to Luna Girl and the Wolfies.

"Apparently, they didn't come just by themselves—giant white hawk moths flew at Luna Girl's side. I can only estimate how many there were; at the Wolfies' side, there were some odd wolf lifeforms I had never seen before, all I remember is that they were white and didn't have fur, they looked like they were made entirely out of moonstone and they each had these glowing circular spheres on their foreheads, the same pink Luna Girl's magnet beams have. I could only assume those wolves were some aliens Luna invited to Earth, and she'd bribed the Wolfies to help her take over my realm."

"And then . . .?" Owlette said with anticipation.

"Well . . . All of my felines tried hiding, but the Wolfies terrified them into running constantly, while the strange alien-ish white wolves fired deadly pink beams from their foreheads, never missing their targets. At this point, I was filled with some uncontrollable rage, rage I'd never quite felt before, even at a villain hurting one of you guys in the past . . . I leapt upon Aquarius and charged out into the open land, where Luna Girl and the Wolfies watched their disgusting chaos unfold.

"I first struck my Super Cat Stripes at Luna Girl, but she averted them with her luna board and taunted me like some schoolyard bully, and she shoved me off Aquarius. My knee scraped against a rock and tore my costume slightly, but I wouldn't let that stop me—I summoned my sword and leapt back onto Aquarius's back, standing on my feet, and striking at Luna Girl. But then the Wolfies, who I could only assume had sworn their loyalty to her for something, came charging at us, and they started brutally assaulting my poor lion. I was in such a state of shock, I blacked out, I couldn't be aware of what was happening . . ."

Owlette's eyes goggled in horror, as Gekko came over to rub her back in a comforting manner.

"Let's just say, I didn't wake up before the battle ended . . . I don't know how long I was unconscious, but I'd assumed it was a very long time, because when I woke up, there wasn't a cat in sight, and all I could hear was the crisp wind blowing past my ears and the bowls of other-worldly wolves. Well, there wasn't a single cat in sight . . . Except for Aquarius. I jerked my head to the other direction and saw him lying down on the ground, bloodied, and . . . _Dead_."

The owl girl couldn't handle it anymore—tears welled in her eyes, and her face collapsed into her hands as she sobbed.

"That's exactly how I felt when I saw Aquarius like that. I stayed frozen with my hands tightly around him, as I was in a state of denial, I couldn't accept the death of my friend." Catboy shut his eyes tightly, and Owlette thought she saw a tear escape his eye. "Then I heard more bratty laughter, approaching, the distance between us and the source of the laughter decreasing by the millisecond. And she appeared. Violent blue eyes against a coal-black surface was all I saw, before I was kicked into a pink portal, and I landed on my rear and in our home town, never to see my realm again." The feline hero sighed, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his nose in them.

"Catboy . . .?" Owlette held out her hand to him, Gekko staring in shock. She could only create the same expression as Gekko when she saw Catboy lift his face, eyes raw and tear-stricken. "Oh, Catboy . . ." She sighed, scooting over to him and embracing him tenderly. "We both lost hundreds . . . Thousands of animals on our fateful days. But we found _each other._ All three of us are united again and . . . Hopefully, those animals are off in a better place, better than the polluted ruins those villains have made of our worlds. And hopefully . . . We'll remain together for as long as we live."

Catboy sniffled, then buried his face in Owlette's shoulder. "Oh my, I've never seen him like this," Gekko said sadly, crawling over to Catboy's other side and giving him a tight hug.

"Thank you, Amaya," whispered Catboy, smiling softly with his ears pinned.

An Yu could only watch with a blank stare in the distance, rather perplexed by the Masks' display of affection. _I suppose I could let them have a brief moment together_, she thought nonchalantly, and shrugged.

**I actually named this chapter "Return" for three different reasons. But I don't wanna give them away, because as your seventh grade English teacher always said, there is something to be communicated in every single piece of text, even something that ultimately IS meaningless. **

**But for now, this is TheOwlMoth, signing off to go have some birthday fun. **


	8. The Abduction

**Hey, everyone. First off, I would like to apologize for not updating for a while. I had a huge creativity block all throughout May, and lately I've been getting back into the swing of things and I'm ready to start drawing and writing again. **

**I lost interest in this story for a while and decided to focus on other things, but I am back and I am not dead and this story will be done. I plan for there to be 10 chapters in total, and for there to be a cover soon. I promise that will come eventually. **

**Also, lately I've gotten into a very weird fandom... Countryhumans. Trust me, it's better than it sounds. And also, this chapter is named after a really good song in a really good musical called The Great Comet of 1812, and it should be illegal to not listen to this musical at least once a year. **

**Okay, let's get into this. It's short, but I've been struggling lately, hope you like it. **

**Chapter Eight—The Abduction **

"Alright, now that we've stocked up on supplies, and have our teleportation devices, I think we're prepared to fight for you guys' realms back," said Gekko, standing at the entrance of the pagoda with a spiked wooden club he'd dug up from a weapon barrel and a bag of supplies. "I am not very inclined to be violent, but in this case, we might just have to be. We're older, the villains are older, their plans have gotten more serious and damaging."

"We know this, Gekko," Owlette said gently. "It's okay. We have what we need. I know, I don't want to be violent either, but . . . Ya know." She yanked a bow out from behind her and tapped it with a dagger-sharp arrow, which was decorated at the bottom with red feathers.

"So, we ready to go?" asked Catboy, escorting An Yu to the pagoda's entrance.

"Let's see, we have our food, and our weapons and some medical supplies. I packed those because, contrary to what happened in our youth, we will likely get seriously injured. The most we got back then was . . . Maybe a sprained ankle, but here we might get broken arms, legs, or other things. Of course, that is just a possibility, but there's nothing wrong with being prepared!"

"Oh, Gekko, I love you, you've always been so concerned for our well being. Who else would think to bring medical kits as much as you?"

"Heh. Thanks, Owl." Gekko rubbed the back of his neck. Now, I don't exactly think we're 'running out of time' as they say in the movies. The villains have already taken over, and for the time being, my realm is pretty securely protected. Unless Armadylan jumps up out of nowhere and destroys it."

"Wait. Armadylan?" said Owlette, a mild suspicion evident in her tone.

"Yeah. You don't remember him?" Catboy trudged up to the other two, An Yu patiently holding her staff behind them.

"Oh, I remember alright. Do you know what happened to him?"

"Well . . . No. He's as good as gone. We don't know what happened to him."

"Oh." Owlette froze for a brief second. "Well let's go!"

"Wow, abrupt change in attitude," Gekko commented.

An Yu cleared her throat, and used her flute to gently push Catboy to the side to make way for her to walk through the pagoda entrance. "Thank you, boys. Now, we have two realms to restore."

"I'm so anxious I could _SCREAM_!" Owlette blurted, springing into the air and hovering.

"Don't scream, Owlette."

"Okay, okay, okay."

The group shared a few laughs, then proceeded down the stairs of the mountain. The joy subsided into extreme fear, as they remembered what repercussions would come out of battling with the villains. Gekko was particularly afraid, rambling about his small size and slightly stout figure. An Yu had reassured him that he was quite strong with his suit on, and that she herself had experience in fighting and would assist them.

Gekko nodded, but he didn't quite seem convinced.

Once they reached the portal at the bottom of the mountain, they walked through, though hesitant.

The gelid air of the city slapped them straight in the face as soon as they arrived, their breaths visibly exiting their mouths.

"We have to f-find Night Ninja here, it's the only way we can get to Owlette's realm," Catboy said between the chattering of his teeth.

"What about yours?" Gekko asked, hugging himself for warmth.

"We'll . . . find out eventually." Catboy gripped wrist. "The temperature must've dropped. We need to find Night Ninja or Romeo, either of them might be roaming the city. Come on."

The group broke into a hurried run, Owlette flying above with usual grace (though she had to hold Birdie to keep her warm) and Catboy occasionally using his Cat Stripes to grapple onto high overhangs and swinging to propel himself. They weren't so talkative this time; the sky looked bleak and so did their situation as it seemed they grew closer and closer to battle.

Gekko and Owlette exchanged nervous glances, though the latter was at a higher elevation. Neither of them even wanted to battle, especially since they'd almost developed pacifist ideals in the past years. But when they both nodded simultaneously, it became clear that fighting was indeed necessary—things were too dire to try and reason with the villains anymore.

Owlette had tried to talk and reason with Night Ninja back in her realm, but he refused to do the same with her.

All was quiet for a bit—

Until . . .

_Chirp chirp chirp! _

"Birdie? What is it?" Owlette released her feathered pet, who frantically fluttered in circles, sputtering and molting. Birdie stopped squawking and gestured her head to the ground.

"Owl Eyes—"

"What's going on?" asked Gekko, skidding along the concrete and looking up. Catboy and An Yu stopped in their tracks and looked around alertly.

"Why is she—"

"_Herbadabababerrrbbbbb_!"

The group froze in silence, eyes widening at the horrible blabber. Immediately, they all grabbed their weapons and wielded them.

"It's that—that—thing again!" Owlette shuddered, seizing Birdie from midair and pulling her close to her chest.

"Wait. Owlette, chill out. Listen again."

Again came the blabber, only much more prominent and less like an echo. It was more like the blabber was duplicated, and the sound, or rather, sounds, were bouncing off the buildings in unison.

Then, like marching soldiers, rows of moderately short silhouettes appeared along the roads, only appearing because of the dim street lights. Before the PJ Masks and An Yu could determine the source of these odd shadows, they each felt some spherical object whiz past them like cold arrow.

The object landed with a vile-sounding splat in front of Catboy's feet, and he inspected it. "Sticky splat . . ."

He turned around—

His fellow Masks were there, but An Yu was gone, like she'd been reduced to atoms.

"Where the heck did—?!"

Catboy looked ahead and suddenly had his answer.

An Yu was draped over Night Ninja's shoulder, two Ninjalinos assisting him in supporting her body weight. The ninja in blue eerily jerked his head in the PJ Masks' direction.

"Sorry, PJ Masks, but I'm afraid you'll have to go a little bit without old Dragon here," he sneered, before reaching into a seemingly nonexistent pocket and slamming his fist towards the ground. A cloud of lavender surrounded the area, and in a flash, Night Ninja and his Ninjalinos were gone.

The three heroes coughed and gasped for air, and took in what just happened. They also took a moment to fully comprehend that their friend was just taken by one of their long-time rivals.

"Night Ninja, he—he—"

Owlette's wings slowly compressed back into a normal feathery cape, as she drifted to the ground and her bow and arrow vanished with a bright red glow. Birdie landed on her head and nuzzled her owner.

"I've had enough of this!" growled Catboy, putting his sword away for later use. "We'll never save our realms if Night Ninja keeps getting away with the teleporters." He slumped to the ground and scowled, looking as if he was about to release a huge shout of rage.

Gekko's eyes stung with furious sadness . . . He of all the Masks found it the most difficult to wrap around what had been happening as of late. He stared at his toes and prepared to weep—

But something came across his mind.

"Guys," he spoke up, voice cracking with a high pitch, "I think I know how we can get to your realms."

Catboy and Owlette looked at each other, both confused and concerned. "We're listening," they said at the same time.

**Alright, that was chapter 8 for you all. I've been lazier than normal lately, so this one was probably the worst chapter in this entire fanfiction. But I swear to the Spaghetti Monster, chapter 9 will be a thousand times more interesting (at least I'll try to make it that way. A lot will be explained there).**

**So I hope you're all doing well with this crazy virus stuff, and I hope you're all safe and continue to stay safe. Have a good day/night (it's like 9:00 and I need to shower). **


	9. A Way to the Realms

**Hello, everyone, hope you're having a pleasant Sunday. I've had a nice day myself, I have not eaten nor left my room all day. **

**So this chapter's pretty short, but I promise that chapter 10 will be long and will probably wrap everything up very nicely, if I stick with that many chapters than adding an eleventh. There might be eleven, but I don't know, we'll have to wait and see. **

**Also, I'm very excited to announce that this book finally has a proper cover! I designed it myself, because a) I have no money for art commissions and b) I can draw decently. Now, unfortunately I cannot do digital art, because I do not have one of those crazy expensive tablets everyone uses to draw with. I just use my paper and mechanical pencil. I mean, I'm quite proud of the design, I was originally going to draw the PJ Masks walking through the market in Mystery Mountain, but I decided that would be a bit too much, so I stuck with something simple. I know, the way I draw is kinda weird, I have an odd art style. **

**I changed the summary a bit as well. I thought it was a little . . . off. **

**So, without further ado, I am proud to present chapter 9 of Restore the Realms. **

**Chapter 9****—A Way to the Realms**

_The accident._

_It was a vague memory in the back of their minds. It lingered, it haunted them, traumatized them, caused everything that was happening . . . Yet they still couldn't remember clearly. Villains were more wicked than before, their plans being taken a step further, evilness taking the extra step as well . . . And it seemed as though the PJ Masks were at their weakest, not being able to defeat the greatest evil despite doing it over and over again many times before._

_As they each made their way through the city, they had this event in mind, but could not find a way to communicate it to each other. It was too difficult to even mention. _

_Yet all three of them yearned to speak of it. _

* * *

"So what exactly are we looking for?" asked Owlette, hurrying to catch up with her friends by floating along behind them.

"I'm sure you remember the giant crystal that gave us our powers from HQ," Gekko answered, jogging beside Catboy, who was refraining from using his Super Cat Speed. "I'm scared it might have been destroyed a long time ago, but there's nothing wrong with checking to make sure. So long as no villains stole it."

"I don't think any villains are willing to dig up heavy rubble to find a gemstone, especially since that thing seemed to separate us when . . . that thing happened," Catboy chimed in. "But I'm not exactly ruling any possibilities out."

The three approached the old abandoned city park, with the old, algae-mottled moat that began to emit a foul odor, like dead fish, mold, and forgotten decay. They crossed the stone bridge which led to the totem pole's pile of sentimental rubble, tangled in vines, ivy, and fading memories.

"Start digging through. It looks like this place has been untouched for a while," said Gekko, hopping on top of the pile and tossing a heavy remainder of HQ into the moat. As the piece dropped in, some algae sank down below with it and left a portion of the moat looking like actual water, like a deep blue vortex in the center of a lush forest.

Catboy and Owlette joined him in the pile, throwing away as much rubble as possible. More algae sank down as rocks were thrown in, revealing something that resembled what the most used to be.

"Oh, PJ Robot," Owlette sighed, running her fingers over a metallic arm coated in dust. Catboy put a hand on her shoulder.

Gekko was the most successful in removing rubble, as when he stopped digging, he found exactly what he was looking for inside . . . a gleaming blue peeked through the gaps between the rubble, like the oceanic eye of a gorgeous sea dragon.

"I think I found it!"

"You did?" The other two leapt over to Gekko and peered down at the blue crystal, eyes basking in its beauty.

"I haven't seen this in years," Catboy murmured, pressing his palm against it. But as soon as his hand came in contact with the surface, a cyan shock burst out; luckily it was painless, though it left Catboy mildly startled.

"I'll try and pull it out. Super Gekko Muscles!" Gekko threw his arms down and wrapped them around the crystal, lifting it up with relative ease and uncovering the massive crystal that resembled the old totem pole headquarters itself, with a green gecko on the bottom, a blue cat in the middle, and sitting prominently on the top, a red owl with outspread wings. For a moment, the PJ Masks were absorbed in the crystal's glory, even though the thing had dust on it and had a few cracks on it.

"What did you—what did you want to do with this, Gekko?" Owlette said, leaning against the crystal and keeping her hands away from it.

"Well . . ." Gekko put his hand to his head and looked down. "An Yu told me not to tell you this, but—there are more teleportation devices than just mine." He pulled out his little teleportation device, rubbing its gleaming jade surface with his thumb. "You both have one as well. I think An Yu may as well have one. But I don't know where they are." He turned back to the crystal and lifted his foot to step on the base. "I'm not sure if this will work, but if things turn out in our favor, us touching the crystal all at once will allow us to teleport where we please. It's likely Night Ninja is holding An Yu captive in Owlette's realm, so we have to go there and save her first, then we can see if Catboy's realm is still salvageable."

"Wow, Gekko, I'm quite impressed," Catboy grinned.

"Heh. Thanks. I'm just makin' theories."

"Okay, okay, so are we ready to test this out?" Owlette said with a tone of excitement, fluttering around the crystal with energy.

"Oh, yes, of course." Catboy and Gekko both turned to the crystal as Owlette landed in front of it with a preparing sigh.

"Alright, on the count of three, we'll all press our hands against it and activate our powers, focusing on teleporting to Owlette's realm. Are we ready?"

"We're ready."

"Okay. One . . ."

"Two . . ."

"_Three_."

* * *

"So, Dragon Girl, where exactly are these little devices, and how do you know about them?"

Night Ninja loomed over An Yu, who was restrained against the wall of the red palace by sticky splats, with a menacing glare on his face. The hostage, however, displayed hardly any sign of fear and somehow kept calm in this situation. Earlier, her flute had been confiscated by the Ninjalinoes (they were fascinated by it and they had tried to play it with their masks on, to no avail).

"You may take my source of power and trap me, but I will not inform you of the location of the devices. They can be dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands, and you are far more than just 'the wrong hands.'"

The ninja slapped his hands over his eyes and pulled down on his bottom eye sockets, groaning in frustration. "We've been at this for thirty minutes!"

"Oh, Night Ninja, you just aren't using the correct persuasion method," said Romeo from across the room, tinkering with an incomplete robot as his circular Robot companion looked over his shoulder. "I, for one, know the perfect method of persuasion . . ."

Night Ninja raised an eyebrow. "And that is . . .?"

Romeo smirked and snapped his fingers. "_Tickling_."

Robot stomped over to An Yu, his single glowing pink eye burning through her, and his arms suddenly extended like rubber hoses, and his hands made their way down to the samurai. The fingers began wiggling like worms against her skin, and the girl couldn't help but burst out in laughter that ascended into screams of agony very quickly. Tickling was a torture like no other, even villains knew that.

"S-STOP IT!" An Yu writhing to break free. But she was utterly helpless. For the next few minutes, Night Ninja and Romeo watched her shriek and kick and behave much differently from her normal calm and collected self, until Romeo gestured for Robot to stop tickling her and back off.

"The only reason he stopped was because that was annoying everyone," Romeo snapped, adjusting his goggles. "Now, no more funny business. Where ARE THEY?"

"I shan't tell! I'll sooner have perished in my duty of protecting endangered worlds than lived knowing I let down so many realms by letting you take over them. I shall not tell, ever."

An Yu assumed either one of the boys would lash out at her and physically assault her, but that didn't happen. Night Ninja just stared at her, and then a look of cockiness appeared on his face (or rather, his eyes, most of his face was concealed anyway) as he slowly made his way over to her.

"I was expecting you to be quite stubborn about this, An Yu. Say, I wonder what would happen if I were to go and visit your PJ friends . . . Strip Kitty Cat of his dignity, crush the Lizard's hopes and dreams, seize Feather Brain like a tiny, insignificant object . . . You know, I probably should have kept her around, she could have been useful for more than just her pretty little realm."

"You're disgusting," An Yu growled, anger seething through her teeth. She'd never been so infuriated before. Anger was almost foreign to her. "They'll defend themselves. They'll find a way to get to you, they'll find a way through this and soon your horrible, polluting presence will be banished from this world."

"What a sweet little couple of sentences, but cliché all the same. Now, I'm willing to make a deal with you."

An Yu raised an eyebrow, signifying that she was listening. "What is your deal?"

Night Ninja placed his hands behind his back and began to pace slowly in front of her. "I'll hand you your freedom if you inform me of the location of the devices, as I need to be able to contact Luna Girl and those flea bags from this world. But, if you don't, I'm afraid I'll have to push the PJs' lives to the thin line." He smirked under his mask and lowered his eyelids, figuring he'd just backed An Yu into a difficult corner.

"I don't believe you," said An Yu, attempting to stand up while still being restrained by the sticky splats. "You'd put their lives on the line either way. I should know. Villains never play fair."

"Now, now, if we played fair, it wouldn't be as fun, would it?" Romeo quipped, walking over and being accompanied by Robot.

"Exactly," said Night Ninja. "We don't have all day, Dragon Girl. So, what's your choice, hmm?"

"I—"

Just before An Yu could give a proper response, a beaming, blinding light struck through the dim room like surging waves flooding a building.

"Stop right there, Night Ninja!" the Masks simultaneously shouted, staring into the room, silhouettes against the light.

"Well, well, well," Night Ninja chuckled, not looking shocked in the slightest. "Looks like they all decided to show up." He turned back to An Yu with a wide, horrible, invisible smile. "_This will be so much fun."_

**So that was chapter 9. I like what happened in it, but I don't like the way I wrote it. I normally spend a few days on chapters, but this one took less than a day. I'm trying to keep a consistent writing style throughout the entire story; so far, I think I've done a good job. **

**Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think of the cover and new summary, or just any opinions regarding the story in general. I'll see you guys in chapter 10. **


End file.
